


The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Wind Waker

by angelrin89



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Brother-Sister Relationships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, MidLink, Romance, Surrogate Family Feels, Suspense, Zelink/Tetlink, friendship feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-25
Updated: 2015-09-27
Packaged: 2018-04-23 07:48:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 36,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4868945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelrin89/pseuds/angelrin89
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Link and Midna battle their way through the Temple of Time, they come across a curious hidden room, not on the map, in there they find a object that was forgotten by time. A gateway opens, pulling the two in, eventually awakening to find themselves in a world covered in water. Even stranger, they come across a young boy who bears a resemblance to Link, even sharing his name!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Temple of Time to Great Sea

The air was dry. There was almost a dusty taste to the dry air as Link licked his lips to give them, even if only temporary, a slight soothing from the dryness. It was almost stuffy in this temple. Sure, it wasn't nearly as bad as when they went into the desert, or the dungeon that rested there (Link was quite grateful he didn't have the taste of sand in his mouth anymore), or the same dryness he felt from the bitter cold from Snowpeak...but there was still a stuffy dryness to it.

Each Temple, or dungeon or ruins, they all had their own feel to them. The forest temple, it was naturally cool, and the air thankfully wasn't dry. Death Mountain...well...that volcano spoke for itself (save for the rooms which surprisingly were actually slightly cool and had a dank feeling, thanks to the cool water). The Lakebed Temple, it of course was a bit chilly (though not as chilly as the ruins in Snowpeak, nothing was colder than that place), and the air was very moist and humid. The humid air felt practically sticky in some rooms.

As he traveled through the Temple of Time, Midna hiding out in his shadow, Link couldn't help but wonder what the next temple would be like. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, as he continued down the stairs through the doorway to the main room, two familiar statues in view, with the symbol on the floor similar to the birthmark on his left hand. Similar to the same mark that the Princess Zelda showed him on her own right hand, when she explained to Link that like him, she too was granted a power from the Gods...before she sacrificed herself for his dying companion...the one currently residing in his shadow.

Link forced his eyes shut, to block out that memory. He didn't want to think about how close he was to losing his trusted guide and companion. How frightened he was to see her in that state, or how distraught she looked when Zelda used her powers to heal Midna, vanishing from sight. Or how the Princess he just barely got to know, the Princess of their kingdom, just gave all that she had to Midna, no questions asked. How he never got the chance to thank her for the help she'd been to the both of them, even though Link was no more than a stranger to her.

No...he didn't want to think about that. And instead forced himself to focus on why he backtracked all the way to the entrance room of the temple in the first place.

Link used the Dominion Rod to move the statue, as he knew a Poe Ghost was behind it, when they first entered this Temple of Time.

When they just barely went through the temple...when they were in the room that came after the temple entrance, he transformed into a wolf to use his senses to discover that one other statue was missing in that previous room...but it was then, Link could smell there was a Poe not too far away, from the direction he knew the temple's entrance was, even from that room. It was faint, but he could never forget the stench of a Poe. Even if he can't smell their trails, he'd recognize that rotting smell anywhere. (Though their scent was nowhere near as bad as the stench of the undead creatures that lurked about in the Arbiter's Grounds in the desert).

He knew he had to go up and get the Big Key to fight the monster that no doubt was hiding somewhere behind the large doors (as they always are), somewhere in this temple.

But he felt terrible for Jovani. He nearly collected enough to free the man entirely from his golden fate, but it wouldn't kill Link to kill the last one (he assumed) that was hidden in this temple...just to obtain another Poe Soul to add to the collection he had already, in order to free the man.

Midna was slightly annoyed with the backtracking, but she didn't mind too much since they were almost completed with their mission here to get a shard of the Mirror of Twilight, plus she was impressed with how handy the Dominion Rod had been for them.

Using the item that was the embodiment of the curse Zant previously placed upon him, Midna turned Link back into a wolf again, so he could fight the ghost.

He made quick work of the Poe and retrieved the fragment of the soul he needed. Midna turned the blue-eyed beast, back into his true human form again. However instead of hiding back into Link's shadow as she normally does in his human form, she was inspecting the area that was behind this statue, where the Poe was hiding before they destroyed it.

"Midna is something the matter?" Link walked a couple of steps forward to the floating imp who was inspecting the back of the wall of the little area the statue previously blocked off.

"Look, see this, it looks like the shape of the item you got." Midna pointed out something that indeed was shaped like the Dominion Rod.

"Yeah, I do...that's odd." Link started to inspect it himself, as he placed his hand on the wall around it.

"Well...?" Midna tapped his shoulder.

"Well what?" He blinked.

"Use your Rod, I mean it obviously means something." She instructed, a curious gleam twinkled in her eye.

The blond resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the female imp. Usually Midna berated him for getting curious and inspecting the temples for any other items and treasures—that weren't weapons, or maps or keys. But now, here she was, being all curious herself.

Then again, they often would discover many interesting or helpful things pressing forward, even if they had no idea what to expect. So while Link was sure the key to get to the big boss monster that was lurking in this temple was somewhere…looking at what was in front of him had to be important. Link was positive it had to mean something.

 _"Why else would it be here?"_  He pondered, then shrugged and added out loud, "Yeah, alright."

He held up the Dominion Rod to the carved out shape that was in the wall, sure enough, when Link inserted the item, the area around it began to glow, as did the wall. Midna kept both her hands firm, holding onto Link's right shoulder, as they both watched with fascination as the wall vanished with the light; the Dominion Rod fell to the ground.

Link bent down, scooped up his item, and then turned to his Twili companion when he rose back up...curiosity was even more evident in her face. Link would be lying if he didn't feel that he was now growing more intrigued by the second.

He double-checked the map and...the area  _wasn't even on_  the map for the temple, well it just became more interesting to him when he noticed that. Link shoved the map back into the pouch with all the letters he had neatly folded. (Though he got rid of the letters he felt he didn't need anymore and left most of them at home, same with most of the maps he retrieved from the temples and dungeons he visited.)

There was a dark hallway that appeared to lead to an even darker room. The hallway wasn't too far back, but it was far back just enough that the outside light from the temple decreased so that when they finally entered the room Link could barely make a silhouette out of the room (not completely pitch black, but still hard to see). The room in question, was not too large from what he could make out, it appeared to be no larger than Link's basement room back at his home in Ordon Village.

Link motioned for Midna to switch out one of the items he currently was holding at the moment for another.

It was pretty nifty, there was no way Link would be able to carry everything he obtained, especially with all his little pouches, but Midna cast a spell on them. Just as she held the items for him while he was a wolf, she created a similar pocket dimension or whatever it was she called it...the same way for his pouches, when he was human. The pouches can hold quite a lot of space, more than those tiny pouches could actually hold. He would just need Midna's help to pull something out, and replace something else he was currently holding, or use her magic to switch out from his clothes to either of his other armors he received. (He did only have two arms, those pouches at his side, and he can't carry all his items with just that alone. Especially not that heavy Ball and Chain, or the Iron Boots, unless he wanted to constantly wear those, and no thanks he didn't.)

She switched out his bow and arrow with the lantern; the Dominion Rod, Link instead slid into the side of his belt, as he used the lantern to get a better view of the dark room. Luckily there were two torches to the left side of the room. When Link lit them both, a chest magically appeared in between them as they have before when Link had done that in other temples and caves.

Midna peered over Link's right shoulder again, she appeared to become increasingly intrigued by the second.

"Hey Midna, can you put this away and pull out my bow and arrows again?" Link motioned for her to switch the two items out again.

Seeing as how now that the room has some light, he felt he didn't need his lantern out. The imp-girl directed an annoyed pout at him, obviously more curious to see what was inside that chest.

"I didn't hear a please, where are your manners?" She questioned teasingly.

Link frowned and raised a brow at her, slightly annoyed, but she just smirked as she watched the young man sigh.

" _Please_ , Midna?" Link asked sarcastically.

"I suppose that's good enough, though you should work on your sincerity." She giggled.

Link rolled his eyes, but she did switch the two items out. He moved the bow so that it was around his shoulder, while the rope that held his arrow quiver around his other shoulder, as the quiver rested behind his shield.

He squatted down, as he could feel Midna hovering over his shoulder again, quite curious to see what was in there.

"If it's just going to be more rupees, I'll be very annoyed." Midna mumbled with a mild vexation in her tone.

He silently chuckled hearing her say that, but didn't comment, as he moved to try to open the treasure chest. But...the chest wouldn't open, there was a lock on it.

"That's strange." Link inspected the lock.

Most of the treasure chests he's ever opened either were unlocked, had no lock, or they magically unlocked because of some puzzle or another that happened. This one was locked good and tight, no matter how many times he picked at the lock. Needless to say, Midna became annoyed again.

"Just great...we came all this way for—"

She stopped mid-sentence, which caused Link to turn around and see the imp-girl had no longer been hovering over his shoulder. She was now at the back wall of the room. It was only then Link realized, the back wall, it looked like a stone door almost; one that didn't open, completely sealed off, judging by how Midna tried to have it opened and it wouldn't budge for the little Twili. He also observed that the stone was a different color than the wall around it, the large stone-cut shaped door...was a blue-ish color almost, while the stone all around it was gray.

She glanced over at Link, and motioned with her eyes for him to come over and try to budge it. He let a breath of air escape through his lips, rubbed the back of his neck and got up to his feet, complied with his Twili companion's wishes. But like the lock on the chest, the strange door wouldn't budge an inch either...which made Link half wonder if it wasn't a door, but a wall.

Although it couldn't be, it quite clearly looked like a stone door, and there was an interesting carving all across it. The carving that covered this entire door...it sort of looked like...well, it looked the Sun. There was a circle in the top center of the door, triangle-shaped carvings lined underneath the bottom of the circle, and sun rays that were carved in all around the door shooting out of the circle.

"Hey what's this?" Midna floated over to the right of the door.

There was...there was something carved into the wall right next to the door. They were these lines, with circles all in them, reminding Link something of music notes. Underneath that, were what looked like to be words carved into the stone wall.

"Link, can you make this out?" The Twili imp asked as she glanced back at the Hylian.

That was when Link remembered that Midna couldn't read Hylian. He taught her a little of it, but she saw no need to learn how to read it when he could do it for her when they were in all the temples and dungeons.

"Well..." Link trailed off as he looked at the words carved into the wall.

There was several, it looked like someone written down a complete instruction for...for something...or it was a message. The young man scrunched up his nose, as he narrowed his eyes slightly, held his chin with his left hand while he observed the carvings with much attention...but confusion and even a tiny ounce of tension was etched into his face.

"What's wrong?" Midna leaned her left elbow against his right shoulder as she peered at his expression.

"I—I can't really understand this. I think...well this must be some form of ancient Hylian. I mean these...I think they're letters—it does look a bit similar to ours, but...it's practically gibberish to me." Link's frown became heavier.

He lowered his brows and still held onto his chin, while his thumb tapped against his jaw, as he continued to observe with intensity what he felt was basically scribbling, at that point.

"Well...this word up here...I think, it kind of looks like the word, " _other"_ —but I'm not that certain. This word...the one over here—it kind of looks like the word, " _connect_." Oh—this word down here, it kind of...kind of looks like the word, " _song"_. And you know what—this word, that's right by the word that looks like  _song_...it kind of looks like how we write the word, " _time"._ Actually, it's all over the place in this—the word that looks like  _time_...I can see it about five times in all this jibberish." Link explained.

"Weird—wonder what in the world all that means?" Midna shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine."

Even though he was responded to her comment, Link didn't glance at her as he spoke, as he still kept his attention at the ancient Hylian-carved words in front of him. Link ran his eyes over and over, the last line in this message, that had the words that looked similar to  _song_ and _time_.

"Song...time?" He mumbled, as he continued running his gaze over and over again at those two words.

He looked back up to what was above all the writing, then he realized—it probably was notes—it was music if he had to bet.

 _"That's what the "song" part must mean...right?"_  He questioned into his thoughts.

Midna then started to inspect that same part too, and she must of come to the same conclusion, as she ran her tiny hands over the lines and circles, carved to look like musical notes into the wall.

"Time song...? Hmmm...a song of time?" She mused out loud.

But right when she uttered those last three words, they heard something fall to the ground. They glanced over and noticed, the lock on the chest, it somehow unlocked itself.

"I think you found the magic words Midna." The Hylian blinked as walked back over to the chest and crouched down.

"I suppose it's a gift." Midna shrugged, and then watched with anticipation as Link opened the chest.

Inside, there was a small object. It was blue, it looked as though it was never touched, not a speck of age on it...despite who knows how long it had been in this temple.

"What is it?" Midna asked.

"It's—" Link reached in and pulled the object out so they both could get a better view of it, "It's an ocarina."

"Hey, I bet this will open that door!" Midna grinned.

"Weren't you the one who said we can't dwaddle for too long because there is a Mirror Shard we need to get?" Link asked his Twili comrade and guide, in a sarcastic tone.

"Hey now, we're not just warriors...we're also explorers, we've come this far, we might as well see what lies behind this door." She crossed her arms and grinned, "Also isn't that cute...you've become more sarcastic as of lately, I think I'm starting to rub off on you."

He quickly rolled his eyes and chose to ignore her last comment.

"What makes you so sure this will open the door?" He asked instead.

Link walked over back to the inscription where the notes and ancient words were carved.

"Well I mean saying a couple of magic words opened that chest, which talks about a song, and there are notes and all that good stuff. So we might as well see if it opens the door, but I got a good feeling it will. Besides, that instrument is the same color as the stone of this door!" Midna gave an imp-like smile, confident she was on the right hunch.

He had to admit...it had indeed made sense, especially after she spelt it out like that—the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Nothing he could think of would refute that her hunch was wrong. The only way to see if she was right was try it out, and if nothing happened then they will realize it was meant for something else, and just continue on with the temple...and come back later if it's important enough.

"Alright..." Link breathed.

He glanced at the notes and memorized how it went. When he was confident he had it memorized completely, he went to step in front of the blue stone door that refused to open, and placed the ocarina to his lips. He took a large breath in, through his nostrils...and started to play the song.

It was...strange...as he played that song (called the Song of Time, which was safe to assume). There was something oddly... _familiar_ , about it. He couldn't place his finger on it, but something in his bones told him, he's heard the song before, and this ocarina...yes, something felt very familiar about it too.

He couldn't figure out why, everything in his mind told him that this was the first time he's ever laid eyes on the ocarina...the first time his ears ever heard the tune of this song. But he still couldn't shake the feeling that he had heard (and seen) all of it before.

When Link pulled the ocarina away from his lips, for a few couple of seconds it seemed like nothing happened. But it was after the momentary pause, that the circle—the Sun carving—on the door, it began to glow. As did the ocarina, they both glowed in unison. The ocarina pulled itself out of Link's hands and floated over to the door. To Link's shock...the door, had absorbed it, as if it was liquid.

The door then began to shine rather brightly. It grew brighter and brighter, both Link and Midna covered their eyes from the blinding light. The light...it felt like it was  _pulling_  them in!

It wasn't like when Midna teleported him, or when he was pulled into the Twilight. No, it was a prickling sensation that slowly but surely filled every cell in his body, then everything felt like it was stinging...like it was burning. He couldn't hold it back anymore, as he began to growl, his voice gradually increased in volume, to scream at the pain he felt. Midna next to him, she too was screaming in pain.

Even though it was too hard to see thanks to the blinding light...Link grit his teeth as he held back his screams of pain, opting to hiss through his gritted teeth, at his pain instead...as he felt his concern for Midna outweighed any concern for himself. Midna, even though she could now live in the Light Realm without getting hurt by their light, thanks to Princess Zelda...she was still a being of Twilight. Who knows what effects this could have on her in the long-run. He certainly didn't want to test them out.

He reached over and grabbed Midna by the arm, pulling her close to him, holding onto the imp-girl tightly.

He tried to stand his ground, but he couldn't...his body felt so exhausted already trying to fight this pain. Just as he felt his knees buckle, and the rest of his being become more limp, he still held onto Midna tightly, he was still somehow able to turn his body around. He couldn't pull away, but he managed to at least pull Midna immediately from view from the blinding light, shielding her from it with his own body.

"Link...?" Midna moaned through her pain, clutching to his shirt tightly.

Link couldn't pull himself away from the light though. He felt his vision become fuzzy, dizziness started to take hold, eventually, he could feel himself start to black out.

And that was the last thing he remembered before he felt the sensation of being sucked into a vortex.

* * *

 

Link felt incredibly sore. Every muscle in his body just ached, even stung a bit...and he could feel a splitting headache, scream through his head.

"...nk?! ...ink?!"

Wait...there was a voice? Yes someone was calling out to him.

It was then, Link realized, something was amiss. He distinctively remembered being in the stuffy temple, where the air was dry and a bit dusty. But the air felt humid all of a sudden, and he could feel a cool breeze though, something he was laying on...it was being rocked back and forth. The scent of saltwater, it filled his nose. And...his clothes, yes...they felt very damp, his skin felt itchy under the wet clothes, it was quite uncomfortable. And his hair clung to his skin, still moist and damp as well.

"...L...nk?! ...Link?!"

Midna?

That had to be Midna's voice!

Link forced himself to snap his eyes open. He shot his head up but instantly regretted that action, as he grabbed his forehead with one hand, the other across his chest, as he doubled over in pain, he groaned through clenched teeth. Link had his eyes shut tightly as he felt the splitting headache only grow worse. His body shouted at him from every inch that what he just did was a terrible idea.

It took him a moment to notice but there was someone there with him. He could feel someone wrap their arms around him, crouching down as they rested his head against their shoulders.

This smell...it was familiar to him. He could smell it even amongst the scent of the saltwater that practically filled his lungs. The person cradling him, rubbed the back of his head, and shushed him lightly, as he finally felt himself calm his breathing (which he didn't even realize he'd been breathing so hard till just now).

Yes...he knew this person, this was someone he could trust, even in his disorientated brain, he let his body relax in this person's arms at that thought.

"That's it Link...just relax. I'm glad you're awake now but you need to take it easy. You took quite the shock to the system." A woman's voice spoke.

Midna? Yes, that was Midna's voice. Link forced his eyes open again, he blinked several times until his fuzzy vision became more clear.

Waves...a wooden raft? He was sitting on a wooden raft, the waves...a sea? An ocean?

He didn't remember being near either of those things. It was night time, he could see the clear sky, the moon bright and full. But that wasn't right, when Link went into that temple, it was during the day...and the night before, the moon had only been a half moon, not a full one. He glanced around carefully, as his body was still sore and his mind still ached something awful, he didn't see his Twili-imp companion anywhere.

But he did glance up and see the woman holding him. She wasn't...she wasn't like any being he's ever seen, but this tall being who was watching over him, definitely had a shape and anatomy very similar to humans.

She had deep orange colored hair, which practically glowed in the light of the moon, it was styled around her neck and tied off, almost as if her hair was a necklace. She had a black hood on, that draped over her shoulders, and there was some sort of silver ornament on the top of the hood. Link looked up and down, as she had multicolored skin on her legs, and arms. Black and a light blue, and there were markings on various parts of her skin that glowed almost a teal color...the skin on her face was light blue like most of her, and her lips were a shade of purple.

And her eyes...there was something familiar about those eyes. Where normally the areas in his eyes would be white, this woman...those areas were a yellow color. And the irises around her pupils, they were a deep shade of red. Even though he'd never seen a being like this woman before, Link had to admit...she was beautiful.

There was something  _"other-worldly"_  about it, in her features...but there was no question the woman was indeed pleasing to the eyes. He wasn't one to really ever let himself get distracted by those things. Nor did he pay too much attention, he was too busy trying to save his world from falling into darkness for eternity to allow himself to think about or let himself notice any pretty face he might come across.

He continued to blink and stare at her, wondering why she seemed so familiar to him. The woman in question, just smiled down at the very confused young man, continuing to support the disoriented blond in her arms.

Where was Midna though? Link could have sworn he heard her, was she hiding in his shadow again?

"How are you feeling right now Link?" The woman asked.

Link felt his eyes widened, his eyebrows rose high, his jaw dropped slightly, as he gazed up at the woman in disbelief.

That voice...he only just now realized it just now (probably thanks to his disorientation) but that was Midna's voice. He attempted to say something, but found no words escaped from his throat, he just continued to sit there, gawking like a fool.

She lightly chuckled, "Yes wolfy-boy, it's me, Midna."

When Link learned she was the true ruler of the Twilight Realm, and that Zant cursed her and cast her out, stealing her throne...he never really thought much about what Midna truly looked like. (Though if Princess Zelda was any indication, it must be standard for royalty to look elegant and beautiful.)

"Uh..." Was all he could stupidly muster out of his voice-box.

He would slap himself for sounding so idiotic if he wasn't so sore, disoriented and also very shocked...not to mention quite taken aback.  _This_ was the  _true form_  of the little snarky, sarcastic, bossy imp that ordered him around and forced him to carry her on his back when he was a wolf!?

She let out another airy chuckle, "What's wrong? Am I so beautiful that you've no words left?"

Link immediately cleared his throat, looking away slightly, he actually felt his cheeks get hot. He was quite annoyed, of course she had noticed him acting like a slack-jawed idiot and tease him for it at a moment's notice.

"I was—well, I was just surprised." He finally said, "I mean, so this is the real you?"

He wasn't looking at her at that time, but he noticed her nodding from the corner of his eye. Link just looked around at the expansive body of water all around them, the waves rocking the raft they were on, back and forth. Link could vaguely make out an island in the distance.

 _"That island...there is something about that island...?"_  He thought to himself.

He shook off his momentary distraction, he felt so lost and confused.

Just what happened?

"Is your—is the curse Zant put on you broken?" Link looked back up at the figure before him that he was still trying to get use to calling Midna.

Midna gave a hard frown, a silent fury in her eyes.

"No...I can sense it, the curse is still on me, not all my powers have returned. No it's just...weakened, you could say. The physical part of the curse has weakened considerably that I am able to now appear before you as I am, my true form. We're somewhere far away, a plane of existence where Zant is nowhere to be found, for the curse to weaken considerably like this, though I would prefer if the part of the curse on my powers was lifted too." She answered.

She softened her agitated expression and gave Link a wry grin that he was all too familiar with when she was still in that little imp form.

"Though I suppose I can't complain, it feels good to be myself again, even if this is only temporary...the curse will no doubt return to its full strength when we return to our realm. But I still have the same level of magic you've been used to, so at least I still have that."

Link just nodded and continued to stare out into the distance at the island not too far away, before he pulled himself to instead glance back at the vast waters all around them, and the clear night sky with every star practically visible—the moon shining down so full and bright.

"The constellations—they look the same, but...they aren't in the same area of the sky as they were last night. And this place...where are we? What happened?" Link noted, as his expression turned more serious yet still confused.

Link leaned forward slightly, Midna carefully let him ease out of her hold; to make sure the blond male didn't overexert himself, watching him carefully.

"You can sit up fine on your own?" Midna asked, concerned still evident in her voice as she watched Link grimace a bit.

"I'll be alright, I just—just what happened Midna?" Link rubbed his forehead in an attempt to ease the migraine that still plagued him.

She let out a sigh and crossed her arms, the fingers of her right hand tapping the elbow of her left arm.

"I've been trying to figure that out myself. Well, I can tell you that,  _thanks_  to you," She added that last part with a slight smile on her lips, "I wasn't to seriously injured from whatever it was that pulled us in. You took the brunt of the blow from that light when you shielded me. I was a bit sore, but I've been a fast healer ever since—"

Link noticed a pained expression of guilt on Midna's face...she didn't need to say it, he knew she had thought about Princess Zelda sacrificing herself for the Twilight princess. Link almost wanted to reach out and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but for some reason he stopped himself from doing so. (Then again he still had the sore and aching problems, so just moving, even slightly, made him wince).

Midna closed her eyes, exhaled a breath of air from her nose, when she opened them again she regained her composure.

"Anyways...we were falling from the sky, it was then I noticed I regained my true form, when we fell in this ocean, I managed to pull your unconscious body out, I found this raft, it was just abandoned and drifting at sea. So I figured it was a good—well, good and  _only_  place—to lay you down until you regained consciousness. You've been out for a couple hours." Midna explained.

Link felt his expression soften, his eyebrows rose just slightly...Midna had been watching out for him all that time? And not only that, when he awoke, she supported him, and tried to help him relax, comforted him until he was fully conscious. He wasn't used to Midna being so...so thoughtful.

Although, ever since what happened after Zant had her mortally wounded from the Light Spirit—Midna has been far more patient, kinder, and even respectful. He realized, the more selfish person he met before, that was just a mask, like the one she wore as an imp. She was only behaving that way because she was ashamed of what happened to her. Because of what Zant did to her, it was her way of trying to be strong and ignore her shame and broken pride.

But still, Midna was Midna. Even if she suddenly dropped her more harsh attitude, she was still sarcastic and snarky. She was still bossy and very opinionated. She was still a prankster and mischievous. So her going out of her way to take care of him...well it just really spoke volumes about her character. Link fought back the little flush that wanted to creep onto his cheeks again from the thought that Midna actually went out of her way to watch over him and take care of him, no way was he going to let her see him blush again. (Not if he wanted to be on the end of her merciless teasing as per usual.)

"You finally began to stir, so I called to you, to make certain that you still had a functioning brain...I still need you after all." She stated in her usual teasing tone, any air of gentleness she previously had, she immediately swept away.

Link glared at her for that comment, but this time chose to ignore it.

 _"Typical Midna..."_  He mentally grumbled.

He didn't believe for a second Midna watched over him only because she needed him to defeat Zant. Sure, probably when they first met, but after all the time they traveled together and everything they been through? No...sure Link didn't know Midna's thoughts or how she thought about her human comrade...but Link was confident she didn't see him as just a means to help her get what she needs to destroy Zant anymore. They were allies...comrades...companions...friends. He come to care about Midna and trust and respect her, and he knew, in her own way, she was the same with him.

But he kept that to himself, Midna wasn't one to get sentimental, and she would likely scoff or playfully tease at anything she deems sappy. The only time to have a tender or touching moment with Midna herself, is when she's in one of those rare moments where she herself is initiating the sentimentality. After all she can't roll her eyes at  _"sappiness"_  when she's the one who started it.

Link rubbed the corners of both eyes, feeling a grain of sand or something stuck in those tear ducts, thankfully he managed to get rid of it.

"So to sum up—we have no clue where we are, right?" Link raised a brow at her, his tone dry.

"Yeah, I think that about covers it." Midna answered in an equally dry tone.

It got silent between them once more, the sound of the waves and the wind the only thing that entered into Link's ear. He winced again, feeling the headache become a migraine, as he felt slightly dizzy, but he stubbornly determined he wasn't going to pass out. So he just sat there, holding onto his head.

Midna had her hands up, ready to hold onto him should he start to pass out...but Link knew that was her way of saying he can hold onto her for support. He held up a single hand, he was fine...well okay, yeah he was in pain—everything was sore and ached, his muscles still stung a bit, especially when he moved. And that migraine wouldn't leave anytime soon. But he can manage fine.

"Midna, can you get me out one of my bottles, not the ones with the fairies...the one with...the Great Fairy's Tears." Link winced slightly through his soreness.

He had four bottles with him, two had fairies, one had lantern's oil, and the fourth had Great Fairy's Tears. Link didn't want to use up any of the fairies...he may need them, they still had no idea where they were, how to get back, or how long they'd be stuck there (wherever the heck _"there"_  was).

He didn't want to waste the Great Fairy's Tears either, but maybe just a little tiny sip from it, will help him feel a bit better and heal him some.

Midna waved her hand and a bottle appeared into view from one of the pouches Midna cast her spell on. She pulled the cork out, and handed it to the young male, who was had still insisted on being stubborn, that he wouldn't let her help him take a sip of the magical drink. He noted she looked a mixed between annoyed and amused as he motioned that he can do this without her assistance. He was quite certain he could at least handle this much.

He took a small sip, and already he could feel a small surge of energy burst in him. The soreness in every muscle and bone began to lessen quite a bit, the slight stinging sensation in his muscles were nearly gone, thankfully. He still ached, but it wasn't as bad as a few seconds ago. He was also intensely grateful that the splitting headache had at least completely disappeared.

"That feels so much better already." Link sighed with a smile.

The green clothed-young man, handed the bottle to Midna, who made the item disappear back into his pouch. She gave Link a small grin, pleased to see that he at least appeared to look better, (or at the very least more comfortable than previously). He gave her a little nod, a slightly wider smile now on his face, a silent thank you.

They both then were distracted from that quiet moment, as they noticed a little boat slide up next to them. A man popped out from inside it, he was a rather odd looking man, but Link felt he at least appeared quite harmless, and he got the sense that this guy was probably friendly. The man with the odd-looking nose smiled at them, but Link noticed the man give Midna a strange look briefly before he resumed to a more pleasent smile and a welcoming wave. Though that didn't surprise Link that the man would give her a quick weird look, humans after all didn't really know much about the Twili or what they looked like.

"I noticed you two just drifting out here, did you need any help?" The man asked politely.

Link opened his mouth, but Midna cut him off instead.

"No we can manage for ourselves, thank you though."

Though her tone wasn't rude or hostile, (actually her tone sounded downright elegant and civil...he had to keep reminding himself that Midna was really a princess, but it was just odd to see it first-hand), Link couldn't help but notice she eyed the man with distrust.

"Are you sure? Well—alright, I suppose if you folks are positive you can handle yourselves. Well if you need anything, I'll be circling this island for all of tonight and tomorrow, my name is Beedle, I sell many useful items as well if you're ever interested. So stop by if you need anything." The man nodded.

The man turned to head back inside his little merchant boat, as that happened Link frowned, side-eyed the Princess of the Twili, before he gave a more determined stare to the back of this man named Beedle. If Midna was determined not to ask for help, Link at least was determined to try to find something out.

"Wait!" Link called out.

The man thankfully stopped and turned to give Link his attention...and Link could just feel that Midna gave a heavy frown towards the blond, but he ignored it.

"What can you tell me about that island over there?" Link jabbed his finger in the direction of the island that he felt his gaze, twice now, naturally was pulled too.

Like there was something there, something important...something in his soul told him that it was of importance, but he was still unsure why.

Beedle looked over to the island Link pointed at and smiled more cheerfully, "Why that's Outset Island. It's a little island, but it has the friendliest bunch of people on the sea. If you guys would rather not be hanging out drifting on that raft, then I definitely recommend going to stay on that island for shut eye. The people there are very hospitable and I'm sure would be willing to help if you asked."

"Thank you." Link lightly bowed his head from where he sat.

The merchant returned the sentiment, continued to smile, stated a  _"You're welcome friends!"_  and a friendly farewell...before he returned to the inside of his ship.

Link finally glanced up and saw a look of disapproval from Midna, he frowned back up at her. (Though it was still hard to get used to the fact that the person he stared at was Midna.)

"What?" Link quirked a single eyebrow up at her, a tiny amount of irritation in his eyes.

"Link, I understand your frustration, being in this strange and highly unfamiliar place, but right now—you and I—we can only trust each other. We don't know where we are, how to get back, or even fully understand how we got here in the first place. So it's best if we try to keep to ourselves and try to solve what's going on quietly...unnoticed." She explained.

"Yeah well sometimes asking never hurt, and I wasn't asking him to help us—just asking about that island. I'd really rather not sleep on this raft and wake up finding out we're further drifted out to sea nowhere near a source of water that isn't salt, or food...or land for that matter." Link stated as he scratched an itch behind his right ear.

"I suppose...I hope you find a way to fix this. It is  _your_  fault we're here." Midna uttered in a more deadpan tone.

"My fault? How is this my—if I recall you were the one who told me to play the weird song on the ocarina by that weird door!" Link glared at her.

"Details, details..." She shrugged, as if there wasn't a worry in the world.

It was weird seeing the mannerisms and hearing that voice (still) come from that body. It was a reminder to him that this was indeed Midna, but he was so used to her being that tiny imp creature, not this...tall, elegant-looking woman. It was... _odd_. But he was finally starting to feel himself get a bit used to the appearance of the woman next to him.

He let out another sigh, as Link's stare, once again fixated back to that island. He didn't notice Midna had turned to him, as she gave him a questioning look.

"You're staring at that island again with that weird look." She pointed out.

Link glanced back in her direction, before he glanced back at the island, he noticed he had been staring at it, quite a few times that evening. It was very strange, he felt like... _something_  was calling him to the island. Maybe the answers he and Midna tried to find, were on that island.

"Seems you're right..." Link mumbled, before he spoke up, "Well, let's not stay out here for too much longer."

**_-To Be Continued-_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I already have a couple of chapters of this same fic on ff.net but I wanted to post it here. So yes, here is a fun story I'm excited for that I cooked up because I always loved the whole timeline split idea but thought how cool would it be for the two later incarnations of Link to meet each other. Also while this story isn't majorly romance focused, there will be ship teasing between TPLinkxMinda and WWLinkxTetra, just fyi
> 
> Also yes, I think you don't actually learn Midna is the Twilight Princess until after you gather all the mirror shards...or something like that. But for the sake of this story, we're going to pretend Link finds out earlier, after they first discovered the shattered Mirror of Twilight.
> 
> So here we go, Midna and Link are now in the Wind Waker timeline, and our story of the two different timelines now colliding is beginning to unfold!
> 
> I wanna thank my buddy, coolman229 for agreeing to be my beta editor for this!
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed it! You definitely have to tell me what you think! Reviews are awesome and greatly appreciated!


	2. The Tale of the Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Midna find themselves on the island that Link felt himself drawn too. They must seek answers without causing too much notice. But they are quite thrown for a loop when they see a boy who bears a resemblance to Link, and even shares his name. They feel they must shadow this boy, as he could possibly lead to a clue as to where they are and how they can find their way back.
> 
> Meanwhile...the other Link is greeting the morning to celebrate his birthday with family and friends, although he's more ambivalent about this birthday compared to past ones. But while he has some mixed feelings about some of the festivities being partaken, he and his younger sister hear cannon fire!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also this chapter (and the other future chapters) will switch between pov's fyi. But I'll make it very clear on which version Link it is so that way none of you will get confused.

They were both exhausted. But using some of Midna's magic they managed to get to the little island safely. It was still so strange that every time in inhaled and exhaled a breath, it was saltwater air that entered and exited his lungs. It was something he wasn't very used to.

Link sighed to himself and scratched the back of his neck. Midna was still keen on not asking for help at that point, so Link and Midna snuck further away from the houses, and started to make camp.

But they still needed to find answers. After all, where would they start in this big world? They eventually will have to talk to someone to figure out at least where they were. But Link would argue with Midna about that later.

It was still odd for Link to see the woman next to him as he started to make a campfire, as...well as that little Midna he was used to bossing him around. He stared, taking in her entire slender and tall form (she was actually a head taller than him in her true form, another thing he wasn't used to, looking up at Midna when he talked to her) and just blinked, as he still tried to make his mind used to this now being the image of Midna in his mind.

Midna seemed to notice the attention eventually and gave him a rather coy, playful smile. He frowned and looked away immediately, hoping she didn't catch him blushing briefly because she noticed him staring and gave him that teasing grin in response to his staring.

"Is there a reason you keep staring at me? I never realized I was that beautiful…" The Twilight princess smirked through her playful tone.

Link frowned at her, but instead of giving into her retort he just calmly replied, "It's weird, I'm not used to seeing you like...well like this."

"Yes, I am a work of art." Midna winked.

Link just rolled his eyes, and tried to tell himself he was not blushing again because of her. He was used to her teasing, and playful flirting out of jest...just to mess with him. But not...well that was completely different when she was just a little imp-girl.

He wanted to say how they needed to talk to someone tomorrow but he knew she'd just protest saying it would be safer if they tried not to get others involved. It was weird. When it came to the Fused Shadows or Mirror of Twilight Shards, Midna was all for Link trying to ask others for any help or information or clues they could use.

He knew she wasn't the type to trust easy, but this was not like her. He figured she'd jump at the chance of Link trying to figure out what was going on, if only to find a way to send them home as quickly as possible to resume their mission. She was obviously worried about something but was being annoyingly in the dark about what it was that had her so suspicious.

But Link knew he'd have to do something to try to find out where they were. They have to talk to someone eventually, whether Midna liked it or not.

Link was beyond exhausted though, and still a bit sore. He flopped down into the grass, which actually felt really nice. It tickled his checks as he relaxed. The sounds of the waves, the crackle of the fire...it was calming and easily helped him ease into sleep.

"Night Midna." Link said as he shut his eyes, letting exhaustion finally win.

* * *

 

He remembered climbing up there when the Sun started to rise. He loved doing that; it was one of his favorite things to do. Watching the sunrise then falling asleep as he watched it. He did it ever since he was small...well smaller.

The sound of the waves and the seagulls were like a perfect lullaby to help him nap. The color of the sky when the sun first started to rise was really pretty, especially the way it peaked over the horizon. He loved the smell of the saltwater, as he breathed it in and out like it was the most wonderful thing in the universe. The cool morning breeze tickled against his cheeks and ears, yes...this was his favorite thing to do, it was so soothing.

He didn't remember when he dozed off..but he did. He wasn't sure how long he napped in the shade of the lookout, but he hoped that it would never end.

"Big Brother!" He heard his little sister, Aryll, cry out.

He lifted his head lazily and turned it in the direction he heard her voice. Instead of the little girl he expected to see standing at the top of the ladder, smiley as can be, he did not, however, see his bubbly little sister. Weird, maybe he just dreamt he heard her voice?

He forced himself to his feet, the young blond letting out a yawn, and stretching his arms as far as he could. He should get up anyway. The morning sun was looking pretty bright and no doubt Link's grandmother would have breakfast ready by now.

"I knew you'd be here." He heard a little giggle behind him.

His eyes widened, slightly startled for a second. When did she get way over there so fast? He turned and gave his sister a small smile. He really shouldn't be surprised, she always came up here to find him and wake him up from his morning naps.

"You always come out up here every morning. But that's okay, this is my favorite spot too! I love to gaze out to the sea, and see all the cute seagulls!" She beamed, her little pigtails swayed back and forth in timing as she bobbed her head.

Link wasn't really paying much attention as she babbled about the lookout they were standing on, that she dubbed,  _"Aryll's Lookout"._ He rubbed his eyes and let out a smaller yawn. He still wasn't sure exactly what time it was, he was basically still half-asleep at that point.

His younger sister must have noticed this, because she noted his half dead expression with slight amusement.

"So do you remember what day is today...? Brother—you're still half-asleep, aren't you?" Humor danced in her adorable, large, chocolate-brown eyes.

Today...what was today?

"Big brother Link, you silly...it's your birthday!" Aryll giggled some more.

Link scratched the back of his left ear...right...his birthday.

"That's why Grandma has been waiting for you to come back to the house. You've been making her wait for a while now. It's a good thing I came to find you. You should probably go home and see what Grandma wants...don't you think?" Aryll swayed back and forth, smiling as she looked up at her now-fully awake brother.

Link sighed to himself. He knew why Grandma wanted to see him. It's why he wasn't that excited for his thirteenth birthday. Why he probably so easily forgot about it. But he smiled and thanked his sister as he climbed down the ladder to see her anyway. It was rude to make his grandmother wait regardless of how he felt.

* * *

 

Link felt much better now that he got some rest. He wasn't as sore as he was earlier, a little bit, but not too bad. Just a little sip of the Great Fairy's Tears really helped him out a bunch. Now he supposed they would need to find something to eat. His stomach grumbled, and even Midna saw no problem with that.

They discovered though that, any curse of Zant's was weakened thanks to wherever they were. They tested out the item Midna kept a hold of, the one that was the embodiment of the curse Zant placed on him, and...nothing really happened. He didn't transform into a wolf. Link could feel a slight heightened of his senses (though not by that much), but his appearance didn't change at all.

A part of him wasn't too disappointed in that. While it was useful, he actually hated being in his wolf form, and only used it when necessary. It would have been more useful for him to sniff out food as an animal then as a human, but it was fine. Link supposed he would have an excuse to talk to one of the residents of this island anyway to ask for food and information.

Midna opted to stay by the campsite anyway, so Link was free to venture off.

Link finally neared one of the houses that was on the edge of this little island village, as he got close, he noticed a little boy walking toward it. Suddenly, he felt a strange feeling...the same feeling he got when he saw this island in the first place.

Was this kid the reason he felt like this island was calling out to him?

That's when he noticed something about the boy with the messy blond hair...this kid...it couldn't be a trick of his imagination, but...this kid...he looked very similar to himself when he was a child.

Sure there were differences, but the similarities were a bit striking.

The boy was talking to some local woman. Link decided to creep in a bit closer, as he hid behind some trees. For some reason, finding out who this kid was became idly important to him. He wasn't sure why. But he had this overwhelming need to know the name of this young boy.

"Well, tell your Grandma I said hello..." The woman this kid was talking to said, "Oh and before I forget, Happy Birthday, Link."

Link felt something drop into the pit of his stomach. He...he couldn't of misheard that.

He watched the young boy wave the woman goodbye and head into the house.

But he didn't pay much attention to that. Not to anything around him. The fact that there was a twig now stuck in his hair, nothing...

This...it couldn't be a coincidence right? He wasn't sure what this meant, but it had to be  _some_ sort of clue, even if it did only add even  _more_ questions to what was going on.

He just happened to spot a boy who looked similar to him as a child, and even shares his name? He wasn't going to let this go, he needed to get Midna. If she wanted to solve things quietly then fine. She'd have to put up with now shadowing a kid. But he had to get to the bottom of this.

Several minutes passed and he managed to successfully drag Midna down over so they could spy on this house, hiding, waiting for the boy he described to his Twili companion to come out.

Midna of course, thought Link was being weird, but Link assured her when she saw the kid, she'd understand.

When the boy stepped out in a completely different outfit (one he didn't look pleased to be wearing) Link felt his eyes widen, he noticed Midna looked surprised too.

"...I see what you mean." Midna mumbled.

The boy was wearing an outfit, all too similar to the green garb that once belonged to a legendary hero, which he himself received from Faron.

"And one of the villagers here called him Link." He repeated to her.

"Yes—yes, I get it—this definitely can't be a coincidence." Midna tapped her chin.

"What do you think?" Link asked her.

"Well that inscription mentioned time a lot...does this mean we traveled through time?" Midna mused out loud.

"Yeah but to when? I mean if that's true, then is this the past? Or is this the future?" Link quirked an eyebrow, as they watched the boy head towards the direction of a lookout that was in the distance.

"No...it can't be the past." Midna shook her head.

Link raised a brow at her this time. She glanced at him, wordlessly pulled a twig out of his hair he didn't notice was there, before she began her explanation.

"Something about this place, it doesn't feel like it's a past life of your world. But at the same time, I don't sense it has the essence of your Light Realm...so...either your world dramatically changes in the future...or..." Midna trailed off.

"Or what?"

"It is a belief we Twili have...though I'm not certain if  _that's_  actually the case here. We'll need to gather more information to see if this is just a future of your realm...our world. Or...or if it's some other alternate plane of existence entirely." She narrowed her eyes as she mumbled.

"What does that mean? I mean can you elaborate?" Link blinked at her.

She was certainly going back to being her cryptic self when he first met her. He thought she finally dropped that after all the time they spent traveling and fighting together. What did she mean by alternate plane of existence?

Well Link had it. He was going to try to talk to someone here to get answers. He gave Midna a hard frown and stared the Twili Princess down. She gave him an equally hard expression. She sighed, as she eventually broke eye contact.

"One person Link, but that's it, we don't want to attract too much attention. There is something not right here, and it's very unsettling, we need to be more cautious." She eventually relented.

"Okay, I give Midna—I'll talk to one person." Link sighed.

She nodded her head, then stated how she'd like to keep a low profile and stay out of sight, because it was safe to assume people have never seen her kind. (To be fair, no one in his realm had truly seen her kind until Zant started up trouble. But even then no one had seen what they really looked like, only Zant's Shadow Beasts and those insects.) She then disappeared into his shadow. Link was a bit taken aback, as he's never realized she could still do that in her true form.

He sighed, and decided to approach the woman the child was previously talking to.

"Sorry if I'm bothering you ma'am...but I was wondering if I could ask you a couple of things?" Link inquired politely.

"Oh hello, I don't think I've seen your face around here before." The kind looking woman smiled.

"Umm—yeah I suppose you could say I was ship-wrecked and adrift at sea, I sort of wound up here." Link lied. (Well only half of it was a lie, they were adrift at sea briefly last night.)

"Hmmm...did you come from this village before?"

Link realized the woman took into account his garb. And he mentally kicked himself for not switching out into one of the other outfits, granted the Zora's Armor and the Magic Armor were more...on the noticeable side, and Link did agree with Midna to try to keep a low profile until they figured out what was going on.

"Oh, uhh...no, I came from a land very, far—far away from here." Link scratched his chin.

"Oh I see, then your island must have similar customs to ours." She smiled.

"Hm?"

"You know, about the Legendary Hero who saved everyone from an unfathomable evil." The woman clarified.

Okay now this had Link intrigued. Legendary Hero? Clearly there had to be a connection.

"Oh well you see, we didn't have much information on all that. That's why, I...well I've been traveling. For our princess you see. She would like me to gather more information on the old tales, because we really don't have much recorded history."

Well that wasn't technically a lie, he was gathering information right now, at Midna's request, and well, from where he was from, there wasn't much information recorded about the hero he supposedly inherited these legendary clothes from.

"Oh a princess? Wow that sounds interesting, but I suppose that would make sense, after all so much history was lost after the Great Flood." The woman nodded.

"Great Flood?" Link blinked.

The woman stared at Link as if he said the most shocking thing ever. Link felt like a moron briefly, because it was clear what she was talking about was pretty much common knowledge, but it wasn't like he knew anything.

"Well, like I said, we don't have much history, and that's why my princess, she sent me out to go find as much information as possible since we don't have much recorded." Link lied.

Midna was probably cackling to herself. Link just willingly admitted to someone he was basically her servant, oh she was going to have a field day teasing him about this.

"Oh my that is most disconcerting—your poor kingdom. I can understand your princess's urgency...let me explain it to you as best as I can. All of us here know this tale practically by heart on this island." The lady gave him a sympathetic smile.

Link nodded his head, awaiting to hear this tale, now really intrigued...a Great Flood? Legendary Hero?

"Well long ago, there existed a kingdom that was said to hold a power, that was laid hidden...most described as a  _"golden power"..._ something left behind from the Goddesses who created this world, themselves." The woman started.

Golden power? Did this have anything to do with those triangles...that crest? The one that was a birthmark he had on his left hand, a similar mark appeared on Princess Zelda, she called it a power from the Gods that she was blessed with. The sages also stated that somehow...that man...Ganondorf, the one who gave Zant his horrible power...he too somehow had that same power.

"It was said to be a beautiful and prosperous kingdom. But one dark day, a great evil found that hidden power and seized it for himself. Using its power, he transformed the land, spreading his evil and darkness all across it...but there was still hope. For in that kingdom's darkest hour, a young courageous boy appeared, a young boy clothed in green. They said he wielded a blade, a blade that was evil's bane, and fought the evil man, and defeated him, peace being brought back to the land." The woman continued the tale.

So...this had to be the hero of legend that he was told about, the one he inherited this very garb from. And the blade of evil's bane? That could only be the Master Sword. Link did his best not to glance at the very same blade that was strapped to his back.

"This boy, who traveled through time to save the land...he's been known through the ages as the Hero of Time, and his tale was passed through generations. It is a custom on our island that when a boy becomes of age when he is leaving childhood behind...that he wears the same clothing inspired by this hero. We don't know the exact age of this hero when he first set out on his journey, but we know he was young, and it was adopted that all boys the age of thirteen go through this custom. It is a rite of passage here." She explained.

Link nodded, that part made some sense...but what caught his attention...was what she first stated. That this hero, traveled through time? Called the Hero of Time? The Temple of Time came back to his mind, that strange room, and ocarina...the door, the Song of Time. Clearly it all had to be connected to this hero in this story.

"What about this Great Flood you were talking about?" Link asked.

"Oh right—well several years of peace had passed, but one day a fell wind blew across the land. The great evil...that everyone thought had been forever sealed away by the hero had once again returned...eager to resume it's dark designs. The people believed their Hero of Time would return once again to save them. But the hero did not appear." The woman explained solemnly.

Link felt this pity in his heart for these people. Sure he wasn't there, but a part of him couldn't help but almost wish he was sent back to when this had happened…if only to be of some help.

The woman pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear and continued.

"Faced with the onslaught of darkness and evil, the people had no choice but to appeal to the Gods. It seemed bleak, and doom drew nigh...but they left their future to the hands of fate. The Gods sealed the evil away...covering this land with water. But what became of this kingdom, no one knew...the memory of this kingdom survives only in legends now." She finished.

"Wow...that's...incredible." Was all Link could bring himself to say, "Thank you for telling me."

Link turned to leave but the woman stopped him.

"Wait—" She pointed out to a house they were in front of, there was a ladder to the side the woman was pointing to in particular, "You should go up and see Sturgeon, he has many books, I'm sure if you explain your story...he'll let you have a book or two of his, I'm sure your princess would prefer recorded history."

"Yes...I'll do that." Link smiled. (Probably he won't, he was supposed to be keeping a low-profile.)

"If you don't mind me asking, how come it is that you are dressed as the hero too, if your people don't know much about the legend?" She asked, keeping him from leaving.

"Oh..." Link wracked around his brain trying to come up with an explanation, "Well you see on our...island—the knights dress in this, to honor a legendary hero. We don't know much tales, but we heard of a legendary hero that fought off many evils that wore this garb, it's been a tradition forever that we didn't think much about it."

Yeah he was lying through his teeth but that didn't matter, he needed to catch up with that boy anyway. Just when he thought he was finally about to leave to go find that kid, the woman stopped him again.

"You know it has been bothering me, you look so familiar, but it just dawned on me, you look just like a grown up version of Marin's grandson, Link!" She smiled, "Are you by any chance related?"

Great...

"Ummm...I'm afraid I've never heard those names before," Ha, that was a big fat lie concerning the kid's name, not that she needed to know that, "I suppose it's possible I have relatives here and never even knew it. Anyways, I must be going."

He finally managed to get away from that woman who, while helpful, kept him talking longer than he wanted. He was supposed to be keeping his distance, and he really needed to find that boy to get more answers.

But this answered at least a few things...sort of. It created more theories at least.

"So...someone is my knight huh?" Midna giggled, as she popped out of his shadow, the tall woman smirking down at him.

"That's the first thing you choose to talk about?" Link grumbled in annoyance.

Of course after hearing that entire story she wouldn't forget Link saying that he's basically her servant, and of course she was going to tease him for it.

* * *

 

He climbed back up to the lookout, where Aryll would be waiting for him. He really didn't like this outfit. He understood why he had to. It was a tradition they've had for generations on this island. And he loved hearing the stories when he was younger, but...

He looked so out of place compared to everyone else on the island in this outfit, plus the outfit was so old-fashion. No one dressed like this these days—he felt a bit silly.

But it can't be helped, as all the adults say around him,  _"it's a tradition"._

He honestly wouldn't be so bothered if everyone didn't tell him what an honor it was to wear this outfit when it was so hot outside today. Really that was his biggest beef, because it was hot and itchy and uncomfortable. Any other day he would only be mildly bothered with the fact that he had to "grow up". He'd be perfectly fine with getting over that and just accepting it. But did growing up have to include wearing something that was so uncomfortably hot and itchy?

Oh well, at least he'd have a nice party tonight. That should be fun at least. And his grandmother would be making a nice dinner and dessert too, and Aryll and the other kids would follow him around wanting to play games...so it wouldn't be too bad. It would just be better if he didn't have to wear this outfit all day.

"Oh, big brother, did Grandma make that outfit for you?" His little sister smiled at him as he finally reached to the top of the ladder, climbing in to greet her.

He just nodded, and did his best to not look uncomfortable, but that obviously hadn't worked.

"You look like you'd be way to hot in those clothes..." She gave him a look of slight pity.

"And it's itchy too." He frowned.

"Well they do look pretty neat though." She said with a more reassuring smile.

Well he didn't agree with her, he felt he looked silly in them, but it wasn't  _that_  bad he supposed.

"I have something that will cheer you up big brother!" She brightened up, "Close your eyes and hold out your hand...just for a second!"

He smiled and complied, she obviously wanted to give him a present.

"I'm going to give you my most treasured possession, Happy Birthday Link!"

He opened his eyes and noticed she was holding out her telescope. She was actually giving this to him? She never shared this with anyone in her life...

"I'm letting you borrow this special gift because you're my favorite big brother!" Her smile brightened further.

"Aryll—I'm your  _only_  big brother." Link laughed.

"And you have no competition to worry about in being my favorite!" She giggled, "So do you like it?"

He ruffled the little girl's hair and gave her a hug, she giggled in his embrace.

"Yeah, thanks Aryll, I promise I'll take good care of it, thanks for lending it to me."

"Goodie! Hey—why don't you try it out brother?"

She jumped up and down, all excited, Link felt he had to accommodate her now. He most certainly can't say no when she's being all cutesy and energetic like this.

"Okay, let's try looking at the house from here." Link nodded to her, as he held it up to find their house.

Link noticed the postman was there already, stopping by the mailbox in front of their house. The Rito tribe were so cool, after all…they could fly, they could fly anywhere. Something weird was going on though...the post man was flapping his wings like crazy as he hovered from the ground, he was panicked about something. His feathers flew everywhere. Just what the heck was going on?

"Link! Look up in the sky!" Aryll cried out next to him, she sounded scared.

Link jabbed her telescope into the direction his sister was frantically pointing at. There was...there was a giant bird. It looked pretty freaky. But it was holding something. He zoomed in and felt dread in his heart. It looked like a person!

That bird was carrying a person in its talons!

 _"Crud, that person is probably going to be dinner for that monster-bird!"_ He frantically thought to himself. _"Wait...was that a cannonball?"_

No, now there were several. There were several firing at that bird, Link shifted his direction further and noticed a pirate ship firing at that large bird. That person, that bird must of nabbed, had to have been a member of that pirate crew, they were obviously trying to stop the monster-bird from eating their friend...if Link had to guess.

One of the cannonballs finally managed to strike the bird, the bird screeched in pain. From the cannon fire to the screeching of the bird, everything was so loud poor Aryll was covering her ears.

But it was then Link noticed, when the bird was struck, it dropped that person...finally freed from the grasp of its talon. Their limp body fell like a rag doll, as gravity pulled it down.

"Oh no! Link, that person is falling!" Aryll cried out in horror, as the watched the body fall into the wooded area at the top of their island.

**_ -To Be Continued- _ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't remember if Link and Aryll's grandma had a name (though I think she didn't), so I just named her Marin after the character from Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.
> 
> Also drew some fanart for this story!
> 
> http://angelrin89.tumblr.com/post/61040784483/the-legend-of-zelda-twilight-wind-waker-i-dont
> 
> But yeah, more stuff going on, and Tetra finally enters the story!
> 
> Thank you my beta editor, coolman229, for editing this for me :D
> 
> As always, let me know what you guys think! I certainly hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	3. Enter The Pirate Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tetra finally enters the scene, the younger Link rushes to her aid! The older one rushes to the aid of both children as well. Midna wants them to be hidden and shadow the boy, but remaining hidden is sadly no longer an option anymore.

* * *

Link instinctively gripped onto the hilt of the Master Sword that was strapped to his back the moment he saw the monstrous bird. It had something in its grasp, but then his attention was drawn instead to the sound of cannon fire. A pirate ship trailed the bird, eventually striking the creature with one of the cannonballs. The creature let out a loud screech in pain, and released what looked like a person.

He couldn't exactly make out the limp body that gravity dragged down, into the patch of woods at the top of the island. But from what he could tell the person was small...a child?

The young Hylian's eyes widened as fear immediately seized his heart at that thought.

He also felt this strange pulse through his left hand momentarily, like something pulled him, it was different than the sensation he felt when he saw that boy. It was like a heartbeat, and it was being gingerly tugged at by some invisible thread. But he ignored the passing sensation; it wasn't on his list of priorities to be concerned over at that moment.

He and Midna were hiding behind a house across from the lookout. He glanced up at the princess of Twilight. They were following the boy around that looked similar to himself and shared his very name, but now all he could think about was that child that was in danger. He didn't even notice the boy they were shadowing, had already scrambled down the ladder of the lookout, and ran to some house on the other side of the island.

All he could think about was that tiny unconscious body, that helplessly was trapped in a monster's grip and then dropped from some great heights. No doubt there was nothing soft for their little body to land on.

He had to do  _something_...he had to help _._

"Midna..." Link turned to the Twili woman.

Although he didn't finish his statement, his eyes pleaded with her. He didn't need to say it. She knew exactly what would be on his mind in this situation.

There was almost no expression on her face as she stared back down at her companion. She closed her eyes, took in a slow breath through her nose, and faced her head back up to the top of the island as she opened her eyes again.

"It's strange—" Midna finally spoke up, "I felt something almost... _familiar_ , about that girl."

Girl? It was a young girl?

Link shrugged it off. It didn't really matter if Midna could make out the person's gender with her naked eye and he couldn't (besides, she was a Twili, they were a mysterious race that he didn't really know much about, and could just naturally have better eyesight compared to humans).

But what did she mean by familiar?

Then Midna turned to him, her eyes narrowed, slight confusion in her face. She reached down and grabbed his left wrist, pulled it up so that she could inspect the back of his left hand. The princess pursed her lips into a thin line; she seemed displeased and a bit more confused. She clearly didn't find whatever she had been looking for.

"Everything okay, Midna?" He blinked.

"Sorry, I thought I saw—Link, did you feel anything strange when you saw that girl?" Midna redirected.

He was a bit annoyed. He wanted to go aid that young girl. She was in the talons of that large bird and then dropped from the air into all those trees; she could be seriously hurt! But he knew Midna. She was getting curious to know the answers to the questions in her head, some of which it seems now has to do with that girl. Either way she'll want to investigate, meaning Link would be free to run to that young girl's aid.

"Yes actually—for a little bit I felt this strange sensation," Link paused, then frowned when he realized what he felt had something to do with what Midna just did, "...it was like a pulse, that pulled at me, in my left hand."

"I see..."

Midna looked back up, and placed her fingers on her chin. Link just sat in silence and waited for her to speak again. Though he was tired with waiting he still did.

"Link, we need to go investigate this further. Let's go save the girl, but we must be careful to not make a scene. The less people that see us the better." The tall woman instructed before she disappeared back into his shadow.

* * *

He was grateful for Orca's help and training, he always loved getting tips and sparring with the old man. But today he was in a hurry and anxious to just take the sword and go.

There were usually trees that grew in the way of the path to the top of the island, and he needed that sword. Thankfully Orca noticed his anxiousness and understood that the young boy had a need to get going.

He allowed Link to borrow the sword and wished the boy good luck.

They both bowed to each other, their customary way to say goodbye to each other anytime the young lad ever stopped by.

Link didn't much care for how hot and itchy he previously felt, and even though that really nice breeze made him feel more comfortable, he was more worried about that person who fell.

If it weren't for his earlier disappointment of wearing this silly outfit, and the fiasco going on right now, today would have been a perfect day. The sky was clear, there was hardly a cloud in the sky...and it was a beautiful bright blue! It was sunny, the temperature was warm but not too hot (unless you were wearing this silly outfit), and the breeze felt amazing. But in that moment he didn't feel like appreciating it.

However his thoughts and worries came to a halt, as Link tripped on the bridge (one of the wooden pieces was loose) and he plopped embarrassingly into the (quite cold) water.

He popped back up for air, spit some of the saltwater that entered his mouth, rubbed his nostrils and grumbled with slight annoyance.

_"On the bright side I'm not hot anymore."_  He thought with mild amusement as he brushed the wet bangs out of his eyes.

He was then distracted when noticed a school of fish nearby him. Three in particular caught his eye; there was a bigger fish with two little fish that followed it around. One of the two little fishes was slightly bigger than the other one, but still smaller than the bigger fish.

He smiled and couldn't help but think of a family. He let out a quiet laugh when he made comparisons to his own family. His smiling ceased when a seagull swooped down and managed to grab the littlest fish and carried it off. Link let out a small gasp as that happened while the school of fish went into a frenzy and swam deeper.

But not the other two fishes. The bigger fish, probably the mother or father, it just froze. It didn't move an inch; there was almost a sadness that radiated off it.

The other little fish, which was probably a brother or sister of the fish that got taken away, swam around the surface frantically. Occasionally it jumped out of the water, only to plop back in. Eventually it started to swim in the direction the seagull flew off.

The young lad felt pity in his heart. That fish wouldn't be able to reach the other little fish...it wouldn't be able to save its little brother or sister.

His frown grew heavier just from that thought.

The boy blinked and shook his head. He turned away and swam to shore...he couldn't get distracted. He had to go help that person.

He squeezed the water out of the hat quickly before putting it back on and started to run as fast as his skinny legs could take him. He pulled the sword out of his sheath; ready to cut down the rather fast growing trees that he knew always block that path.

His pace had come to an immediate stop, when he noticed that somebody had already hacked the little trees down.

"Is someone already up here?" He uttered to himself, as he rubbed some water drops out of his right ear.

But...he didn't see anyone with a weapon go in this direction.

He shrugged it off and placed the sword back into its sheath. It was probably Orca who cut these little, skinny trees. The old man did sometimes go up there to train around the crack of dawn, so this wasn't exactly that out of the ordinary.

"I gotta hurry." Link mumbled.

He stepped over the little stumps and hacked tree branches, then continued to trek forward...his clothes, while still damp, began to dry a little in the sunlight thankfully.

* * *

Link felt that strange pulse once again in his left hand, but the sensation disappeared just as quickly as it came.

What did it mean? Midna seemed certain it had something to do with that young girl.

"Link hold up...!" The Hylian heard Midna call out from within his shadow.

"What is it?" Link asked as he stopped.

"Someone's coming." Midna said.

Link could indeed hear footsteps headed their way.

He noticed a tree off to the right. It was fairly large, so he sprinted over and hid behind it. He popped his head around just barely, and noticed that young boy again. He came running up the path and didn't miss a beat even when he stumbled over a rock on the path. The kid just kept going and continued across a bridge, jumped over a gap in the bridge, and continued to jog forward to where Link knew that girl had fallen.

Once the kid disappeared inside, he saw that large bird, it was still circling around the island. It made a strange sound, it wasn't quite a squawk but it wasn't quite a howl...it was...something in between those two sounds.

"Stay sharp, it's clearly up to something." Midna instructed.

"Yeah, I know." Link nodded.

Suddenly six puffs of smoke appeared out of thin air in the sky. Smaller versions of that bird appeared out of the puffs of smoke, and they were all carrying something. Link quickly pulled out his hawkeye, glad that he got Midna to pull it out for him earlier (along with his bow and quiver full of arrows which was now strapped to his back along with his sword and shield).

They looked a bit different than from what he was used to, but...there was no question that these things these smaller bird monsters were carrying looked very similar to Bokoblins.

The young man grit his teeth and sprinted forward, as he saw them heading to fly into where the girl fell.

* * *

He managed to spot the person who fell. Thankfully they didn't have any signs of injuries, but they were unconscious. Luckily the clothes this young person was wearing were caught on a branch of a tree, so it seemed that saved them from hitting the ground.

That was when he took a moment to actually look more at the person rather than just check for any readily injuries.

It was a girl. A girl who looked about his age.

She had long ears, much like himself and sister and grandmother. Her skin was fairly tan and with her bright blond hair, pulled into a bun, her hair only stood out more because of how bright it was compared to her skin.

_"She's kinda cute..."_  He thought to himself as he blushed.

He pinched himself in the cheek and frowned, no time to get distracted by that! (But it's not like it was his fault that he got distracted by that, after all. All the kids on the island were younger than him. Nobody his age and certainly no girls his age.)

He realized it was too high for him to climb to the tree this girl was trapped in, luckily, it looked like there was a way to climb up there from behind it. While it was a bit tedious, he did make his way around.

He now faced a new problem...how was he supposed to get the girl down? She was up too high for him to reach, plus she was still unconscious. He really should of thought this through and asked maybe Orca to come with him— _no!_

No, he couldn't do that. Part of wearing this outfit was about becoming a man and leaving childhood behind. Sure he hated wearing this outfit, but he loved the stories behind it. He always loved them growing up.

And the hero this garb was inspired from didn't need to go get an adult (not to mention it would be irresponsible leaving this girl like this, she could fall from that branch and get hurt while he left). No, he'd be able to accomplish this fine.

He just needed to climb up there and carefully reach her and bring her back down is all.

He however heard movement...it seemed the girl woke up.

"Wh...Wha...Wait?! What's going on?!" The girl was now wide-eye awake as she struggled, while staring at the ground.

Link was about to cry out for her not to keep struggling like that because the branch would break, but it was too late for that. He heard a snap, the branch broke and the girl quickly tumbled down. Link dived forward in hopes of catching her.

Instead, she ended up landing right on him, her rear crashed into Link's left shoulder while her elbow collided with his forehead. They of course gave him a few stars dancing around his eyes for a second when they both fell down.

He shook the stars out of his eyes as he lifted his head, the girl now sitting on him. She didn't appear hurt; that was a relief at least.

"What in the—kid where the heck did you come from?" The girl climbed off him and stared him down, "And what's with that funny outfit?"

He just stared at her; she had really pretty blue eyes too.

"Hey I'm talking to you pipsqueak, and get off the ground like that, what are you some bum?" She raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed.

"Hey! I came here to rescue you!" Link shot up with defiance, "That bird had you in its talons and those pirates were firing cannons at it, scaring my little sister, and when I saw one of the cannons hit the bird, it dropped you. We saw you fall, and I was really worried that you might be seriously hurt so I came here to help! And I'm  _not_  a pipsqueak or a bum!"

That last part he added more of as an after thought...the girl remained quiet and just stared at him for a minute, then let out a snort.

"That bird dropped me? Well that wasn't very nice of it." She stated sarcastically.

He opened his mouth to say something, but...then he heard a very strange noise. Two large birds (but nowhere near as large as the one that carried this girl) carrying these two... _things_...came swooping in.

They dropped the creatures, which growled and made strange noises at the two young ones, eventually charging up to them.

Link pulled out his sword; taking a stance that Orca has taught him since he was young. He noticed from the side of his eye, the girl pulled out a dagger and charged one of the creatures first.

One of them jumped out of her way and started to charge at him. But he was ready for it. He blinked though, amazed when he saw the girl jump up and kick the creature in the face and stab it in the head, only for it to... _burst_  into a puff of smoke.

_"What the heck?"_  Link thought to himself.

He didn't get time to let himself try to understand what he just saw, as the creature came at him.

It tried to punch him, but the boy ducked then smacked it in the hip with the side of his sword. It jumped up and down and growled at him as it rubbed its hip. Link couldn't help but feel a bit smug. The monster had no weapon, but Link had a sword.

He also felt himself grin a bit more when the girl turned, ready to fight off the other one, only to drop her arm to the side and stare in bewilderment as she watched him fight off the creature. Link smacked it in the chin with the hilt; he spun and slashed it twice. It burst into a puff of smoke just like the other one.

He grinned at the girl, and she just rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

"Alright so you're not a bum...but you're still a pipsqueak." She smirked.

Link frowned.

"Am not!"

"So you got a name pipsqueak?" She asked him instead.

Link paused for a second, eying the girl with mild annoyance, he took a breath and forced a smile.

"My name is Link, what about you?"

"Tetra."

"Alright so Tetra, so why did that thing grab you?" He asked.

"How should I know? And even if I did, why should I tell you?" She closed one eye and grinned.

"Hey I came to help you! And I saved you from that fall too! A thank you would be nice!" The boy huffed.

She then had a rather weird smile on her face, and her eyes were half open as she approached him...she looked weirdly pretty and scary like that. How could one even accomplish that, Link was really not sure.

"Listen here pipsqueak, I'm a pirate, I can handle myself just fine. I don't need your help, it's not nice to talk back to a pirate, we're dangerous you know—something  _bad_ could happen." She got really close to his face, that dark smile never left her face.

Link couldn't help but gulp and blush at the same time. How could this girl be pretty and intimidating at the same time? He was so confused.

"I suppose I can spare you for now." She backed away.

"Huh?" He blinked.

"Don't go getting any ideas, the only reason you're forgiven for your rudeness is because you came to help me. I'll let it slide for now." She crossed her arms.

Link was even more confused, why was she looking at him like that? And what ideas was she talking about?

_"Girls are weird."_  He grumbled mentally.

Suddenly they heard that weird sound again, and four more of those birds with those monsters showed up!

The two of them got their defensive stance ready, except the birds dropped the monsters right on top of them. Link felt the wind knocked out of him as one of them punched him in the gut. He doubled over as one of them stepped on his head and started to laugh.

He heard the girl...Tetra...she was shouting and threatening them. Link managed to turn his head slightly under even the foot of the creature, to see the other two grab Tetra by both her arms and lift her off the ground, her feet dangling and kicking, struggling to get free.

Suddenly, the one that punched him in the gut earlier, which stood over to his left…it fell over dead!

" _W-What…how did, what's going on?!"_  Link thought.

He heard a sound like something that flew through the air, and the one that kept its foot firm on his head now fell over dead. He lifted his head to see the two had arrows in their backs, before they burst into a puff a smoke.

_"Who...who shot those arrows?"_  The boy looked up in the trees as he thought this but couldn't see a sign of a person.

The two monsters holding Tetra growled, furious their friends were killed, frantically looking around, while holding onto Tetra tighter...looking up into the trees.

Two more arrows flew in, striking them both in the neck, they fell over dead and their bodies burst into a puff of smoke just as the others have all before.

"What...just happened?" Tetra blinked as she reached down and picked up one of the arrows on the ground.

"Someone just saved us." Link picked up the other three arrows, as he scanned the trees around them again, looking for a sign of their rescuer.

* * *

Midna wasn't surprised that Link wanted to rush to help. He always did have a hero complex (not that it was a bad thing). But when it came to children, she noticed Link got especially angry and protective. The children from his village, that girl he'd been friends with since he was a kid, the young Zora prince...

It seemed Link had always been protective of those who were younger than him. So when he saw those monsters appear, and the boy was headed in there, where the girl was; she was honestly not surprised that she saw him run faster than she'd ever seen him run on foot before.

She urged Link to get somewhere and hide in the trees. He could stay hidden and snipe the monsters with his bow and arrow from up high, and it'd be easier that way because even stupid mindless monsters knew how to take a hostage if the opportunity arisen. He could take them out without the worry of one of those kids becoming a meat shield.

Plus she hoped they could just shadow the kids, but at this point there was no avoiding it. Link couldn't turn into a wolf; he couldn't just pretend to be an animal (plus those kids could confuse him for a monster like most people in Hyrule did). Whether he confronted them with his sword, or with his bow and arrows, those kids were going to end up seeing Link. She had hoped to avoid that.

But there was something she needed to see. She felt a sensation herself from that girl, and she felt it again just now the moment she laid eyes on the girl within Link's shadow.

It was a presence she recognized, an essence that now lived inside her. An essence that was the reason she could withstand living under the light.

That girl...she _felt_  similar…to Princess Zelda.

Midna needed to know why.

The feelings she briefly had, the sensation Link briefly felt, were only hints that somehow this girl had the same aura as Zelda. But at their distance they wouldn't get a good enough confirmation. They would need to get closer, so it would seem one way or another; she had to let Link reveal himself to them.

She didn't want to. More people shouldn't have to get involved with her and Link than they already have. She would not allow another situation like with Princess Zelda to ever happen again.

She frowned from within the shadow. Originally, all she cared about was getting her revenge, saving her kingdom…saving her people from Zant.

Link, Princess Zelda...the people of the Light Realm…they didn't matter.

To her the Light Realm and their suffering was their responsibility to deal with, and the Twilight Realm was hers. But the two separate realms had become too intermingled thanks to Zant and his  _"God"_.

Her realm suffered because of the Light Realm, and the Light Realm suffered because of the Twilight Realm.

The troubles of the Twilight Realm were just as much as Link's responsibility to do something, as the Light Realm was for her.

And to top it all off, Princess Zelda sacrificed herself to save her. Why did she go and do that?

She figured everything would have been okay. Link and Zelda could save the Light Realm...they could maybe save her people too hopefully. She knew she could trust them with that; she would have been content dying knowing they would save her people.

She'd seen how caring Link and Princess Zelda were, how far they'd go to help even strangers. She pretended to look down on them for it, but that was a lie. She couldn't let them see how much of a failure she was to her people. She wasn't nearly as noble as them.

Link traveled all across distant lands and took orders from a stranger, even put his trust in that stranger, if it meant saving his loved ones. He then put his needs aside to risk his own life on a daily basis to save all the people of his realm. Princess Zelda was put in a tough choice, either surrender and become Zant's prisoner, or all the people of her kingdom would die. Naturally Princess Zelda did what she had to preserve her people, and then to top it all off, she sacrificed herself to save the princess of the Twili.

Midna truly did admire them both and wishes to repay them for all they've done to help her. She swore to herself that she would.

She was going to help Link save his realm, just as he promised that he'd help her save hers.

But now they were in this different land, this different world. They had nothing to do with Link or Midna...they had nothing to do with Zant or the suffering in the plane of existence Link and Midna come from.

She didn't want her burdens to cause anyone else to suffer. Like it did with the Light Realm. Like it did with Link and all he cared about. Like it did with Princess Zelda.

"Here two of them come now." Link whispered, a welcome distraction from the Twilight princess's thoughts at that moment.

The young man pulled an arrow from his quiver and got his bow and arrow ready. However, Link ceased, as they watched the girl and the boy take down the two creatures that looked a lot like Bokoblins, on their own.

"Would you look at that, maybe they don't need you after all." Midna giggled from within his shadow.

"Hopefully..." Link said rather seriously, "There are still four more of them that haven't shown up yet."

"Well just keep your eyes sharp." Midna instructed.

"Yeah, yeah…you think I don't know that Midna?"

"Was that back sass? You are a terrible knight disrespecting your princess like that." Midna teased.

Link rolled his eyes and ignored her comment; Midna smirked and let out a quiet giggle within his shadow.

They watched the boy and girl interact, a little bit of arguing, mostly just the girl picking on the boy. Then it would seem the girl threatened the boy, Midna felt a bit amused, as the boy looked both frightened and attracted to the girl at the same time.

"How cute, I think he has a crush on her." She giggled.

She couldn't help but feel amused when Link rolled his eyes (again) at his shadow. Instead of responding to her comment, like previously, he ignored it and continued to keep his eyes peeled for the oncoming threat instead.

Midna observed that the girl then backed away and started that whole routine she'd seen before all too well from several young girls her age. The whole,  _"I'm not interested in you, so you better not be interested in me_ "...in other words totally in denial. Judging from the way she took to immediately picking on him like that combined with this now attitude...yep, this girl had to probably be developing a slight crush on the boy as well.

Needless to say she found this pair highly amusing to watch. If she weren't so keen on hiding out, she'd love to get the chance to tease them for it. Kids were always hilarious.

But that was the last thing she honestly cared about. She let out a sigh from within the shadow as she kept her eyes peeled as well.

On cue, the monsters showed up, and they did indeed overwhelm those children. Link wasted no time and shot one that punched the boy first. He then shot the one that had its foot firmly on his head next. The monsters burst into a puff of smoke, like the other two did earlier.

So...magic. Someone created these monsters.

Link pulled two arrows this time, shifted his position, making sure his aim was perfect. He released both arrows, and hit both the other two monsters with perfect precision, freeing the girl.

"Your aim has improved a lot." Midna smirked as she popped her head out of his shadow.

"Was that a compliment or an insult?" Link glanced down at her, sarcasm in his voice.

"My how rude, you think that little of me?" She teased.

"Hey! Who's out there?" The young girl cried out.

Link looked at Midna, obviously asking her for permission if he should reveal himself or stay hidden.

"Go on, but we aren't going to tell them our real story...not yet. Those two may be helpful for us figuring things out but we need to keep them in the dark for now—for their safety. Make something up for any questions they ask about your resemblance to the boy, maybe a distant relative if you have to, I really don't care. But while you go over to assess to make sure they aren't injured, Link I want you to pay close attention to your left hand and that birthmark on that hand—when you're near that girl. It could help confirm things for me, even as I'm checking a few things." Midna instructed.

Link nodded, and jumped out of the tree.

Link wasn't exactly an obedient little servant, he certainly did have a mind of his own, but working on the ranch and learning swordsmanship from Rusl has taught Link respect others in a position of authority, it would seem. Link originally begrudgingly did what she told him only because he had no other choice. But now it was from mutual respect. Link trusted her opinion and instructions, even if he didn't always agree with them.

It was amusing to watch the reaction from the boy and the girl, when they saw Link. The boy especially...

"So who is this, the more attractive older brother of yours?" The girl teased towards the boy.

"Hey, what do you mean by that?!" The boy huffed.

"Also is this something all the people on your island wear, or are you two just special?" She questioned the boy again.

"I've never seen him before!" The boy shouted back at the girl.

As Link approached the children, the boy eyed Midna's human companion with a mix of confusion and interest. The girl frowned, annoyed and clearly just wanted to know what the heck was going on.

Link knelt down to get at eye level with the boy and picked up the arrows from the boys hand, after shoving those three in his quiver, Link scooped up the boy's sword on the ground and handed it back to him.

The boy blinked a couple of times, and took it wordlessly from Link's hands, not taking his eyes off him. Clearly the boy was intrigued but for some reason couldn't bring himself to ask a question.

That's when Midna remembered from when she was in Link's shadow...the tale that everyone on this island knew from birth, like that woman told them. No doubt this boy grew up hearing it too, and he obviously knew Link wasn't from this tiny island. But seeing Link, wearing the garb and saved the two...she wondered if the boy somehow was mistaking Link for the hero in the story.

"You aren't hurt anywhere are you?" Link asked the young boy.

"Oh...um...no. I'm—I'm okay." The kid nodded a bit sheepishly.

"You were quite brave you know. Fighting off that monster like that with just that sword." Link ruffled the kid's hair.

Midna couldn't help but smile. It was cheesy yes, but even she had to admit it was sweet. Link really knew how to deal with children, it was no wonder the kids from Ordon adored him. Not only was he the "cool big kid" who could fight with swords, wrestles with goats and ride horses...but Link would give them the time of day, listen and talk to them. Comfort them when they were scared and inspired them to be brave.

"R-Really?" The boy appeared beyond flattered.

Link got up then walked to the girl, he raised his hand, the girl smacked it away, clearly didn't want any sympathy. Link just smiled at her but when he looked at his hand (and Midna from within his shadow), his birthmark was glowing again. Midna felt that sensation again.

Midna knew it, this girl had a connection to Zelda—or perhaps— _she_  was this world's version of Zelda?

Link shook it off though, and smiled at the girl again.

"Well, it's good to see you aren't hurt either—"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..."

The girl handed Link the arrow she was holding, he smiled at her, she still gave him a stubborn little frown. Midna was both mildly confused yet highly entertained, if this was really this world's version of Zelda…? Well she honestly didn't know what to think compared to the elegant and refined wise woman they met...but the girl was certainly on the entertaining side to say at the least.

"So where did you come from, or are you the story-tale hero that always swoops in and saves the day last minute?" The girl added with sarcasm.

Link opened his mouth but the boy interjected.

"Are you the hero?!" He cried out.

"Excuse me?" Link turned to the boy.

"The Hero of Time, from the legends! I always thought they were just stories, but...I mean—"

Link held up his hand to halt the young boy in his tracks, as the older blond gave him an amused smile, and pat the boy on the head lightly before he shook his own head.

"No I don't think I'm the legendary hero you're thinking about." Link scratched the back of his neck with his other hand.

"But...I've never seen you before on this island, and that garment...I mean it's the same as—"

"Ah well yes...you see where I come from, we have a similar tale about the hero that you guys have here. But...well we didn't know much about him. I was only told a tale about a hero who did many heroic deeds and saved a kingdom wore clothes just like this. It wasn't until I came here that I heard more details about that legend." Link answered.

"Oh...I see." The boy said with slight disappointment.

Midna could tell the girl wasn't quite convinced, as she eyed Link with suspicion.

"So why do you look so much like pipsqueak here?" The stubborn girl inquired.

"Well like I said, we don't have much record of the legends of old where I'm from, I was instructed to go find any information of our lost history...I never grew up knowing my family, but I also hoped that one day, from my travels, that I might meet some relatives." Link answered her with a smile.

Link wasn't that well practiced at lying but he also had nerves that don't buckle easily, and it probably helped that he was sprinkling his lies with a lot of half truths, while letting the kids fill the dots with whatever theories they could come up with themselves.

They were all distracted when a new voice came running towards the entrance of this little wooded place at the top of the island, shouting on the top of their lungs.

"Miss Tetra! Miss Tetra!"

**_ -To Be Continued- _ **

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo, Tetra! So now they have met, I wonder what will unfold next...well we'll just have to wait and find out and see!
> 
> I want to thank my beta editor coolman229 again for helping me out.
> 
> Thank you guys for reading, and don't forget to review :D


	4. Eyes of Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The younger Link's sister, Aryll, has been kidnapped. He decides he's going to set out to find her, but first he has to break the bad news to his grandmother. Meanwhile the other Link and a certain Twilight Princess hiding in his shadows decide to tag along and help him on his quest to save his little sister.

* * *

Midna watched with indifference from within Link's shadow. She watched as a grown man ran up to the girl who felt similar to Princess Zelda, crying and blubbering about how he feared the girl was a goner after that large bird creature dropped her on the island's summit.

Midna barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes seeing the grown man (who looked no older than Link's friend, Fado, from the Ranch), blubbering like a child. The girl seemed to agree as she watched her older friend sobbing with annoyance in her expression. If Midna had to guess it would seem man was the young girl's subordinate.

Link watched with respectful silence; obviously trying not to draw attention to himself. (Well more than he already had, thanks to being forced to reveal himself to the two children.)

The young lad who also was wearing the green garb of the hero just watched with curiosity. (Midna refused to refer to him as Link, as far as she was concerned, the only Link was her Link—this boy was nothing more than a stranger as far as she was concerned.)

"Well don't just stand there! Let's go! Time to repay our debt to that bird in full!" The girl hissed at her subordinate.

"But Miss..." The older male gestured towards Link and the boy, "What about them?"

"Don't worry about them, just come on already!" She ordered.

He looked back at the two for a brief second, quirked a questioning eyebrow at the both of them (probably taking into account their outfits). He said nothing to either though. The tall pirate turned his heels and followed after the girl who already darted out of there.

The boy looked up at Link; almost as if he was asking permission to leave. Link just smiled slightly at the kid. The boy must have taken that as he was good to go, and the boy immediately jogged through the tall grass as he chased after the two who already left.

Link followed by after the boy, but he kept a distance—just out of earshot.

"That thing is still circling the island." Link said seriously.

"Tch...yeah I doubt it would give up its prey so easily. It will come back for round two." Midna added with a small snort.

* * *

They all gathered in the grass by the bridge as Link had caught up with the three. The older blond continued to keep his eyes peeled. He was beginning to get more concerned. Link couldn't see the monstrous bird, but there was a twisting feeling deep in his gut that just  _knew_  that creature was coming back. He felt a strange sensation from that girl; she was obviously important.

That creature seemed to know a bit of magic to summon other smaller monsters. There was no question in Link's mind, it was after that girl called Tetra, probably for the same reason he felt something pulsing in his left hand just being near her.

Sure Link didn't know what was going on, but his instincts told him that girl was its target.

"Hey! Big brother Link!"

Link was distracted as he glanced forward, but then realized that girl wasn't calling to him. No, the sweet little girl on the other side of the bridge was obviously waving at the small boy—who was also named Link. Link couldn't help but smile as he saw the lad make eye contact with the tiny girl with blond pigtails. The kid grinned and waved back at the girl, his sister...Link couldn't help but feel his thoughts drawn to home.

He never knew his parents. He wasn't exactly sure what it was like to have relatives or siblings (he may have other relatives, just that he isn't aware and never met them), but Ordon Village was family. Ilia and the other kids...they were the closest thing Link could think of to what it was like to have younger siblings. He smiled lightly as he wondered how they were doing; hoping that they all were still safe in Kakariko Village.

The tiny girl started to run across the bridge and she was about halfway when Link heard a loud screech.

 _"The creature!"_  He felt his body snap to attention.

He whipped out his bow as fast as he could, drawing an arrow. But it wasn't fast enough—the bird swooped in almost as fast as he could blink, and snatched up the little girl!

He dashed forward (accidentally knocking over Tetra) and aimed his arrow, but as he fired it, it was pointless. The wind was blowing against him...the arrow missing its mark (not that it would have put a huge dent in the creature anyway, but he had to try something— _anything_ ).

"Brother!" The frightened little girl screamed, trapped in the grip of the bird's talons.

Even if the wind wasn't working against him, Link couldn't fire at a moving target that fast; which was drawing further and further away. But the Hylian was then distracted as he heard the boy scream in anger, drawing his sword.

_"Just what did that kid think that would accompli—?"_

Link felt his heart freeze in fear. The boy ran straight for the cliff, screaming in anger bearing his sword—the boy jumped!

He forgot that the girl and her older friend were behind him, and even if he didn't forget he wouldn't care. Link dashed forward, ready to jump off after the boy. There were two items he had out, and one of them that he needed in that moment was not equipped. He needed Midna's magic to switch them out. If he remembered and thought straight, he would have realized the people behind him would see one item magically disappear and another reappear. Or the fact that they could quite clearly hear Link as he screamed.

"Midna! The Clawshot! I need it now!"

Link jumped off the edge of the cliff; his bow and arrows disappeared from his hands, the Clawshot now there in place as it materialized from Midna's shadow magic.

He managed to grab the boy he pointed his Clawshot up, aiming for a tree sticking out of the side of the cliff. Luckily it hit and grabbed hold of it (just barely, a second later and he wouldn't of reached). If Link hadn't of grabbed the boy when he did, he could of easily hit rocks or the tides could of just smacked the boy right into the side of the cliff (if he was lucky and missed the rocks). Either way, even as the boy squirmed in Link's grasp, he couldn't help but sigh in relief how he was glad he got a hold of the kid in time. He started to make their way back up, slowly but surely while the boy was still freaking out in his arms.

He got them all the way up the tree that the Clawshot grabbed a hold of and then noticed Tetra and the older fellow peaking over. Link tossed the young blond boy up towards them and Tetra's subordinate caught him. Link took a deep breath as he climbed to the top of the tree, attaching the Clawshot back to his belt, before grabbing the edge of the cliff and pulling himself back up.

He was greeted to a sight of the boy, still in a panicked frenzy, yelling and screaming for the tall man to let him go. The boy finally came to a halt when the pirate girl, grabbed the boy by the shoulders and started to (not so gently) shake him to get his attention.

"You stupid kid, get a hold of yourself! There's nothing you can do! She's gone!" She shouted.

The moment those last two words came out of Tetra's mouth, the boy froze. The most horrified and distraught expression was on his face, like his whole world came crashing down. Both she and the taller man let the boy—the other Link—go. The lad collapsed to his knees and fell completely silent. He didn't utter a single sound; he just knelt there in a shell-shocked state.

The girl looked up at the man and nodded. She walked over to Link; her blue eyes staring up at him with suspicion. It was then Link realized he called out to Midna and had shadow magic done in broad daylight in front of these people. Link couldn't read minds but he had a strong feeling that's why she was giving him that look.

Instead of questioning him further, she just sighed and glanced back at the young one who was still frozen in shock. She almost had a hint of sympathy in her eyes. She turned away so Link couldn't see her.

"Hey...make sure this pipsqueak doesn't do anything else crazy." She huffed.

She turned to leave as she took a couple of steps onto the bridge. Her subordinate followed her lead, but she then stopped and turned back to look at the older blond once more.

"Hey...um...thanks, for—you know...helping us."

If he didn't know any better it looked like the girl was slightly blushing.

"Let's get a move on Gonzo, we're not here on vacation you know!" The girl barked up at the older man, her embarrassed demeanor quickly vanished.

Link wanted to chuckle but he couldn't, as he glanced back down and the boy still had that frozen distraught expression on his face. He knelt down and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. The boy instead of looking at Link, looked down at the dirt under them. Link was about to open his mouth to say something, but couldn't find any words. He looked out in the distance, the bird was long gone. But then he could see the sail of the large pirate's ship. That's when he had an idea pop up in his head.

"You know...that bird that took your sister, it has to land somewhere, right?" Link gently squeezed the boy's shoulder, in hopes it would get his attention.

The other Link, he looked up at the older male, the distress still in his features, but confusion and curiosity as well were there.

"Seems to me like if you want to still save her, you'll need something fast to catch up to it...maybe a ship?" He nodded and nudged the boy forward; to get him to look in the direction Link himself was currently peering at.

The boy turned his head; Link watched his expression, as it clicked, understanding what the young man was hinting at.

"Thanks..." The boy mumbled before taking off after Tetra.

Link knew Midna was waiting till they all left, and sure enough; she popped out of his shadow when the boy disappeared.

"I understand why, but you realize they saw—"

"I know Midna," He glanced up at the tall princess, "I know, they would of seen your magic, and I even called out to you, that girl is suspicious, but I don't think I have to explain why...you yourself just said you understand why."

She sighed then smiled down at him, "Ever the reckless hero. Well it doesn't matter now I suppose, but the girl is suspicious."

"Yeah, I noticed. But we'll deal with that when the time comes. For now I suppose it's best to focus on helping the kid." Link stated as he straightened the shield and sword straps around his chest.

"I beg your pardon? Link I understand his plight, don't get me wrong I do feel terrible for the lad and his sister. I know you have this hero complex especially when it comes to children, but do I need to remind you there are two realms, and Princess Zelda, that are depending on our success in defeating Zant and his master. We can't afford to dwaddle, our homes could sink into further chaos while we're gone. Our top priority is to find a way to return home." The Twilight princess advised.

"Midna...do you remember what you told me?" He glanced away from his companion.

"I've told you a lot of things Link, you're going to have to be specific." Midna said dryly.

Link scratched the back of his neck and let a breath escape from his nostrils. He faced Midna once more, to look up at the Twili, square in the eyes.

"I remember how you once told me, how you didn't care about my realm...of us light dwellers, of me and Princess Zelda. Our fates wasn't your concern, all you cared about was saving your people— _your_   _realm_...and stopping Zant."

"Yes, yes...I know. I am not too proud of it, but it was all I originally cared about, at least until I saw everything you and Zelda have done...and everything you've both done for my sake." Midna admitted with a harsh tone, but guilt in her eyes.

Link took a couple of steps towards her, he held onto Midna's left hand with his own, she looked back into Link's blue eyes with her red ones the moment she felt him grab her hand.

"Midna...can you honestly say you want to make the same mistake again? I don't think you want to feel the same kind of guilt twice...yes the Twilight Realm is not my home; yes the Light Realm is not your home. The Light Realm needs your help Midna, and the Twilight Realm needs mine, it's no accident that our fates have been intertwined...or something like that, right? So...I mean doesn't the same thing apply here. It can't be an accident that we're here; even if this is not our home...I'm not sure why but fate has brought us here. And you know as well as I do, that it has something to do with that girl and that boy. We have to help them." Link answered her seriously.

Midna tended to be a mystery a lot, but if there was one thing Link had learned about her, he knew she'd come to regret this like she had in the past with her similar attitude. And it hurt him a bit to still see her feel so guilty over what had happened (most of it wasn't really her fault, even all the stuff Zant did. Link didn't consider to be her fault either. It wasn't like she was the cause of all of it...but Midna still felt responsible).

He didn't want his guide and friend to feel that way ever again. Link hated the feeling of regret, the guilt and self-loathing was certainly no picnic. Link had several things he had felt guilt or regret over, and he does his best to avoid feeling that. It was probably why he did his best to help as many people possible when they come across those in need.

If there was someone he could help and didn't help them, Link would really hate himself over that. So he couldn't let her do this to herself again. Midna would regret this if they didn't try to help them, at the very least...he knew she would.

Midna let out a chuckle as she ruffled Link's bangs, letting go of his hand.

"Ever the noble hero, I hate that you're right. All right, let's go help that boy. I'm not sure what I was thinking, after all, we need to shadow that boy and girl anyway, I need to find out more about them, they could be a key to helping us find a way back home. Where would I be without you?" She smiled teasingly but there was still sincerity in her tone.

Link grinned back at her, as she disappeared into his shadow.

* * *

Link grimaced as Tetra expressed shock then rolled her eyes as she explained to him all the reasons he shouldn't come on her ship, then demanding why she should take him anyway.

He didn't care that Tetra was a pirate, couldn't she see that Aryll was in trouble!? His sister needed him now! He didn't have time to argue with Tetra. He had to get to his sister and bring her safely back home!

"Look, I know how you must feel, what with your sister being kidnapped an all...but that doesn't really have anything to do with us, now does it?" Tetra put her hands on her hips.

Link wanted to let out a loud growl in frustration, she just didn't get it! He was ready to snap when someone else decided to join in the conversation.

"And how do you figure that...?"

They all turned to see the Rito postman approaching them.

 _"_ Just who are you? Where do you get off butting in other people's conversations?" Gonzo, one of Tetra's pirates, shouted.

The postman rolled his eyes in response.

"Please, all I mean to say is if you big, bad pirates hadn't come to this quiet little island, that poor girl wouldn't have been snatched away by that bird." He said in a polite (yet somehow still sarcastic) tone.

"And just what do you mean by that?" Tetra asked, starting to get annoyed.

"If you pirates would calm down and be quiet for a moment, I'll tell you."

Link bit back a smug smirk from coming onto his face, as he saw Tetra and Gonzo stiffen up yet couldn't muster anything to retort back. But he stayed quiet to listen for the postman's explanation.

"Now, as my work entails delivering letters, I spend much of my time traveling amongst the many different islands. Naturally, as a result I hear many things. Haven't any of you heard word that young girls have been getting kidnapped lately from all regions of the Great Sea?" The Rito started to explain.

Link felt his eyes widen. He hadn't heard about that, other girls like Aryll were getting kidnapped? But why? The boy kept his mouth shut though, hoping to hear more.

When the pirates didn't answer, the Rito postman continued.

"No matter...whether you hear it or not, that seems to be the case. Young girls with long ears like yours have been getting kidnapped, never to be seen again. And unless my eyes fail me, the young girl who was just kidnapped from this island also has long ears, does she not? Much like  _you_ do Miss Fearsome Pirate. My point is that bird mistook Link's poor sister for  _you_ , and that's why it grabbed her." He finished his explanation.

Link looked back at Tetra, and for a split second, unless he was seeing things, Tetra had a guilty look in her eyes.

"And correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it was Link here who went to go save you from those monsters in the forest, wasn't it?" The Rito also pointed out.

Gonzo looked down at Link, a bit surprised, "Is this true?"

Before Link could open his mouth and answer, the Rito spoke up yet again.

"Oh, and while I'm at it...I may as well tell you that the bird that kidnapped both you and Link's sister has made its foul nest to the north, on the heights of Forsaken Fortress."

Link had no idea what that was, but it clearly meant something to Tetra as he saw her eyes widen and she let out a small gasp.

"Forsaken Fortress?! Isn't that the place where...?" Tetra's other lackey (his name was Mako or something) shuddered.

"So what are you going to do? Under the circumstances, I don't think it would be unreasonable for you to give Link a little help...now would it?" The Rito postman crossed his arms.

"Hmph! I don't need you to tell me that!" Tetra huffed in response before turning her attention to Link, "Even if I were to consider it, lately I've heard nothing but evil rumors about this Forsaken Fortress. You can't possibly go in there with nothing but that cheap little sword! That's not brave, that's just stupid—even a simple little island like this has to have something you could use as a shield. You know, something to protect yourself with? Anything?"

Link thought back and remembered when his grandmother mentioned earlier when she went on about their traditions of old when she gave him the current garb he was wearing, that she made for him. That family decoration, it was old...but a shield was a shield.

"Tell you what, if you come back with something like that, we'll let you stow away on our ship." Tetra said, "Oh and one more thing, once we leave, you won't be coming back here for a while. So you better go say your goodbyes while you got the chance. I don't want you getting all weepy-eyed and homesick on me."

He nodded and headed back for home, and that's when it hit him...Grandma. What was he going to tell her? Link felt a tightening in his chest just thinking about it. This would crush her. Their parents died; caught in a storm about a year after Aryll was born...their grandmother raised them both like he and Aryll were her own children.

Why...why did he have to be the one to tell her what happened? He was a failure of a big brother, but now he had to admit it to the one person who always provided for them both. Aryll was there little ball of sunshine, everything he and his grandmother did revolved around her.

He sighed, but there were still no time for tears, and he had to make this right. He'd make up for his failure by bringing Aryll back. But still...he knew exactly how his grandmother would react, and he didn't want to be the one to give her the news that would break her heart...or witness it.

He opened the door and pushed himself in. His grandmother looked a bit concerned, but he couldn't face her yet...he had to compose himself before breaking the bad news.

The shield, yes...he just needed to get the shield. That would give him a moment to prepare himself to deliver the bad news. The boy climbed up the ladder only to find the decoration was missing.

 _"Where...where is it?"_  Link thought to himself.

He had to face her sooner or later, so he climbed down the ladder, he had to ask her where the shield was anyway. He needed it to help defend himself against anything that waited in that nasty place that was holding Aryll and other little girls prisoner, Tetra was very clear on that.

"Link..."

He walked a couple of steps forward, but he couldn't bring himself closer. He could feel a heaviness in the room.

"Is this what you're looking for?"

His grandmother turned around so her back wasn't facing him. That was when he noticed his grandmother had the shield in her hands.

"Take it with you, child. And do be careful." She handed it gingerly over to her grandson.

Link felt himself frown as he could feel a large lump forming in his throat. He couldn't find any words to say. But he realized his grandmother already knew the bad news, and she already guessed what Link was going to do. She really did know her grandkids all too well.

"So it's true...Aryll really has been kidnapped, hasn't she?" The old woman's voice began to crack, her body started to tremble, "What kind of monster would take such a sweet, young child?"

Link felt himself swallow the lump in his throat. There was a bitter taste in his mouth at his next words.

"Bye...grandma." Was all he could choke out.

Link felt horrible. Like a coward, he didn't stay to comfort her. He didn't even give her a true proper goodbye. He didn't explain everything like he wanted. Instead he just ran out as fast as he could so he wouldn't hear the sobbing, so he wouldn't have to see her tears. His heart pounded, fighting back the water that wanted to escape but he wouldn't let it. He was not going to cry, Aryll needed a strong, brave big brother...and crying was not going to save her.

He ran towards the ship and the three pirates standing at the shore, the dry sand slipping into his boots as he sprinted towards them. Tetra saw him approach, Link was grateful he didn't look like he was about to cry a minute ago.

"Wow...are you seriously going to use that decrepit old shield? I mean can you even still use that relic? Are you going to get splinters and cry?" Tetra scoffed.

"It'll do for now." Link answered her indifferently.

Noticing Link wasn't in a mood to be teased, the girl dropped it and changed subjects.

"Well whatever...if you're ready, then let's go!"

He gave her a nod and followed after her, that was when he heard someone call out to them. They all turned and saw someone run towards them at the shore. It was that guy. The one who saved him (twice) and Tetra. The one with the same outfit as the hero. (To be perfectly honest, when he first saw him, Link felt his outfit looked like a cooler version than the one he was wearing, it even had chainmail underneath...but the guy did say he was a knight.)

"What do you want?" Tetra narrowed her eyes coldly at the guy.

That was odd, from the short time he's known Tetra she was indeed abrasive, but...why was she looking at their rescuer with such distrust and suspicion?

"Simple. I'm tagging along." He answered.

Tetra and the other pirates all gaped. It wasn't a question or a request; it was a statement of fact. The guy didn't say it harsh or rude, in fact his tone was more aloof than anything, but from the looks of this, the guy wasn't going to argue. From the way he looked at Tetra he was basically giving the message he was coming along whether she liked it or not.

She glared at the older blond.

"What business do you have here anyway? Do you have some kidnapped sister or something you need to save too?" Tetra huffed dryly.

"No, but I'm going to help...Link—save his sister. I have a feeling this is going to be more dangerous than you two realize, and you may need my help." He answered politely.

But there was something weird, even Link had to admit. The way the guy said his name...it was almost like there was something awkward or unfamiliar about it. Granted they were practically strangers, but still, it was weird to say the least. But he shook it off, and smiled up at the older swordsman, he was grateful for the extra help.

"Ugh, fine...whatever. But this is my ship boys, so my rules. Do as I say and I promise we won't have any problems." Tetra relented.

**_ -To Be Continued- _ **

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so another chapter gone by!
> 
> Ah Quill...out of all the Rito (save Medli who is my favorite) he is one of my favorites. He's just so cool and when the pirates were around in the first part of the game, a sassy side came out of him...I loved it.
> 
> Poor Aryll bby, and Link...and Link's grandma D: I want to hug them all, it'll be okay!
> 
> So yes, now Link and Link and Midna and Tetra are all going to set off. 
> 
> As always a big thanks to my beta editor coolman229 for always being a huge help :D
> 
> And please leave a review, I love hearing y'alls thoughts and predictions and feelings! Feedback is the lifeblood of us authors :)


	5. You Won't Fail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tetra is suspicious of Twilight Link, meanwhile the two Links become swabbies under Niko. When Wind Waker Link feels down or needs help, Twilight Link is ready to be there to give the encouragement his younger counterpart needs.

* * *

 

A large gong was struck repeatedly as they set the sails. Link looked up at the older blond and then at Tetra, watching the people from his home wave goodbye at him.

The wind blew against him, the cool air contrasting with the warmth of the sun's rays beating down on them. He breathed in the sea-salt air as he felt all sorts of emotions churn inside his belly.

He smiled and gave a wave to them all. It then dawned on him; this was his first time ever setting out at sea. He had never left their tiny island before. What was waiting out there besides the monsters that kidnapped his sister?

"Good luck Link!" The two small boys Aryll always played with, cried out, "Good luck finding Aryll!"

"Take care of yourself!" The mother of the two boys exclaimed.

He continued to wave at them all but halted as a small figure caught the corner of his eye. He looked to his right at the balcony of his home, seeing a small figure. He ran forward, holding onto a rope, seeing the little figure of his grandmother. Guilt seized his heart as he remembered what a pathetic goodbye he gave her earlier, how he didn't even comfort her after she broke down about Aryll being kidnapped.

 _"Don't worry grandma, I'll make this right, I'll bring Aryll back home...safe and sound. Please don't worry about us. I promise I'll be brave and fix everything."_  The boy thought to himself.

Despite the sorrow on his face, the boy waved both hands over his head. He didn't cry; he just waved as he frowned. He ignored the sound of the gong in the background, his eyes focusing on his grandma who was getting smaller and farther away from his view.

"Ugh...how much longer is this going to go on? Do you have an estimate?" Tetra asked dryly from behind him.

He stopped the movement of his arms as he turned around to glance at the girl. Link noticed the older blond dressed in green like him, frown at the girl. The knight appeared to be a bit annoyed, but Link regarded Tetra instead. His face remained neutral and said nothing.

"Are you sure you shouldn't quit right now? Seriously, think about it. I can tell you are just going to get more sentimental from here on out." Tetra said lazily as she placed both hands behind her head; leaning back slightly from where she was sitting.

"You make that sound like there is something wrong with it." The knight said in a neutral tone, but slight annoyance was still etched onto the older blond's face.

He was silent the entire time since they set off; so it was somewhat startling to them when the knight did finally open his mouth after a while. He didn't seem like a very talkative sort. Probably preferred to speak when he felt it was necessary, or at least that what Link could only assume about the helpful stranger. But while it didn't seem like the knight had any feelings of dislike towards Tetra...Link got the feeling that every sarcastic comment out of her mouth directed at the boy—the knight didn't appear to appreciate. He wasn't really sure why. Tetra said some rude things to the older male too when they met, when they all boarded, and just barely before setting off. But the stranger never commented once on it. He just brushed it aside; however when her comments were directed at Link instead, that is when the boy noticed a change in the man's demeanor slightly. Even if he didn't make any comment up until now.

He saw Tetra's expression immediately change the moment the knight made that comment. Her carefree and sarcastic attitude instead turned into exasperation. She glared and frowned up at the older male. Something in her eyes however wasn't just normal annoyance...Link wasn't positive but there seemed to be a look of suspicion laced in her eyes again. The younger blond still wasn't sure why she kept eyeing him with distrust. The young pirate captain however shrugged the older male's comment off, as she huffed and turned back to Link.

"All I'm saying is there is still time you know...are you sure we shouldn't just turn around and take you back to your island?" Tetra stated with a shrug.

He looked back at his home; determination filled his whole body. He narrowed his eyes back at Tetra.

"No—I made up my mind. I don't care if I won't see my home in a while. I am going to save my sister." He said with conviction.

"Whatever. If you start blubbering because you're homesick, don't come crying to me." Tetra rolled her eyes and hopped down from where she was sitting.

* * *

"So if you plan on sticking around too, mind telling me who you are?" Tetra asked.

Link blinked down at her and the kid who were both staring up at him. Right...a name.

He couldn't exactly give them his true name seeing how he and the kid shared a name. Not too mention the girl was incredibly suspicious of him.

"Hello? You gonna just stare at me like some dumb statue or you gonna answer?" Tetra glared.

He let out a sigh, trying to think of a name. He smiled at the first name that just came into his mind.

"Rusl." He stated.

Tetra raised a brow at him but didn't say anything. It would seem it didn't matter what Link was going to say, the girl was very suspicious of him no matter what he said or did.

"Well Link and Rusl, you can't stand around on deck. You'll get in everyone's way. You'll both be helping Niko out. So go report below deck and ask him what you both should be doing, understand?" Tetra placed both hands on her hip.

Link couldn't help but silently chuckle to himself. Tetra was like a younger version of Midna.

"Come on kid." Link nudged the boy to follow him.

They made their way down below deck; Link noticed a room was blocked off, which he could only guess was Tetra's room. He paid it no mind as they made their way through an open doorway. There they were greeted by a very short man (he was barely taller than the kid), with a red and white striped shirt, and a blue bandanna on his head. The man had two large front teeth hanging out of his mouth like he was a squirrel.

"Ah! So you two must be the two new swabbies! As of today, I am your superior! Niko is my name. Now I promise I will go easy on you if you do what I say, alright?"

Link rolled his eyes. Nothing against the guy, he didn't seem like a bad person, but really the only person he currently tolerated being bossed around by was Midna. Sure he put up with Tetra bossing him around now, but that was only because he didn't want to raise any more distrust from the girl (and he was only going to put up with it to a point—if there was something he didn't approve of he'd let it be known).

"Okay so basically here is the thing...you have to take a test that all new pirates have to take. It's a bit of a doozy, so get ready!" Niko exclaimed.

As he started to babble to the kid of what the two of them had to do, Link just gave a small grin. If only these pirates knew what Link and Midna constantly faced.

So he hopped from platform to platform, swinging from rope to rope with ease, as Niko was distracted explaining how it worked to the kid. Soon both turned and saw him already over there. Link gave a big grin and waved; both of them looked surprised, Niko even more so.

"How—I...when did you get over there?!" The short man sputtered.

"Seemed simple enough." Link shrugged.

He could hear Midna quietly giggle from within his shadow. The man Niko shook his head and attempted to regain his composure, as he finished the kid's instruction, before taking three times as long as it did for Link to get over there.

"It would seem you learn fast my swabbie, I am quite proud." He complimented to the taller man next to him.

"Thanks." Link said with a light smile.

"What was your name again?"

"Rusl, the kid over there is Link." He answered.

It was strange addressing someone else by his name, and calling himself Rusl, but Link supposed he'd have to get used to it.

"I see...well Link! Your turn!" Niko called out to the kid.

* * *

He was getting frustrated. Rusl got over there with ease, Niko...while he took longer, didn't fall once. Link fell down six times, having to keep resetting the timer and pillars with the switch, rinse and repeat. He grabbed his hat and pulled it over his eyes, squeezing the fabric tight as he growled through grit teeth in frustration.

"Well not everyone can get it right on their first try kid. It will probably take you at least one year before you're good enough to make it all the way here. One rough year, filled with bumps and bruises. But hey, if you make it up here faster, I'll definitely reward you." Niko laughed.

Link growled further as he was prepared to rip off his hat and stomp on it in irritation.

"Kid, just relax." Rusl called out.

He looked over at the older blond who just smiled at him.

"You lack focus when you get angry, just take a deep breath and take your time." The young man instructed.

"But what about the time—"

Rusl then interrupted him.

"Stop worrying about the time limit, stop worrying about falling, just take a deep breath and only focus on one thing at a time. Just only concentrate on each step and move you take as they come. You can't worry about it all at once or let yourself get stressed out over the time limit or you will keep on failing like you have. Trust me, okay kid?" He gave the boy a nod and an encouraging smile.

The boy nodded in response.

He took a deep breath, giving himself a few seconds before he pressed the switch again. Taking a couple of steps back before he dashed off and jumped to the raised platform. He then leaped forward, hanging onto the rope, before letting go and landing on the next platform. He looked to the next rope and took another deep breath. Focus on one thing at a time, that's what Rusl told him to do.

He managed to swing to the next platform, then the next, and then the next. He (and Niko) were both very surprised when he made it all the way to where Niko and Rusl were.

"What?! You did it already too?! How!? It took me weeks before I could get that right! You both got it down in a day!" Niko shouted.

The older blond smiled at the younger one, patting him on the shoulder.

"Who knows, maybe green really is a lucky color." The taller man joked.

"I...I am proud to have you both as my underlings." Niko bowed his head.

The buck-toothed man began looking around the room, as if to make sure no one was watching. Link looked up at Rusl who just shrugged in response.

"I wonder if it's okay to give it to him after all? I don't see why not, I doubt I'll get busted..." Niko mumbled but then raised his voice and added, "Alright swabbie Link, tell you what...you can have that treasure in the chest over there! It's your reward from the great and generous Niko! You earned it!"

He looked up at Rusl, "But what about him, Niko? Doesn't Rusl get anything?"

"It's okay kid, I don't need anything. Go get your reward." Rusl gave him one pat on the back.

He ran forward and opened up the treasure chest, and inside was a spoils bag! Not one of those cheap knock offs, it was a genuine one, the ones that are only made on Windfall Island. Those things were really expensive. He remembered Quill the Postman talking about how one of his friends wanted one and he had to save up for a year just to buy it. The lad smiled and tied the bag to the back of his belt.

* * *

Several hours have passed. Night had already fallen. It seemed everyone had settled down for the evening. Link was grateful he was alone in the cargo hold of the ship. They only had one spare bed with the rest of the crew, and Link wanted the kid to have it. He was able to make a makeshift pillow with a large bag of flour and a blanket he folded over it. He didn't mind that he'd have to sleep on the floor tonight. He knew Midna wouldn't mind either too much, at the very least they'll have some privacy (though they still had to be careful, someone could come in at any moment).

Midna popped out of his shadow, stretching her muscles after being in there for so long.

"You didn't eat much today." The princess of the Twili said.

"I guess I kind of forgot, I mean—what with everything that happened today." Link plopped on the ground, leaning his head back against the makeshift pillow.

Link watched from the corner of his eye as Midna sat down on a crate behind him. He sighed but then blinked as he saw Midna's hand in front of his face, an apple in her palm.

"When did you get that?" Link leaned his head back to look up at her.

"When you and the little twerp were cleaning up the kitchen I swiped a few, while hiding in your shadow. Just in case you'd forget to eat." She grinned.

Link nodded and smiled at her, flattered that she thought of him. He gingerly took the apple from her hand before taking a bite. He was surprised how sweet this was, he didn't expect the fruit to taste so fresh. But it seemed Tetra's crew took good care of the food stocked in the kitchen.

"Not bad." Midna said after taking a bite of the apple in her hand.

Link just nodded and continued to eat the fruit. They both sat in silence as they ate. Even after both finished it remained quiet. Link still wasn't sure what to expect when they got to this fortress, or what to do after. He figured Midna must have been wondering the same thing.

"How long was it again till we get there?" Midna asked.

"Three days at the least, according to Tetra." He reminded his companion.

The tall woman sighed but relaxed herself where she sat, the two rested into a comfortable silence again. It was like this a lot with Midna though. Many nights that they set up camp they would have a brief conversation, but then were silent for most the night, sorting their thoughts.

Then Link heard the door open. He glanced at Midna who quickly disappeared into his shadow before he could say a word.

The Hylian looked in the doorway and relaxed as he saw the young boy...the other Link.

* * *

"Hey kid, what brings you in here?"

Rusl's arms were sprawled out over his makeshift pillow, he regarded the lad with curiosity in his eyes. Link sighed to himself. He felt so foolish, today was the day he was supposed to leave childhood behind and become a man, like the hero in the stories.

But he felt an instant connection with Rusl. There was something about him that felt he could trust the guy no matter what. Something about him that felt like a familiar entity despite being a stranger. There was a lot he didn't know about the guy...but the guy made him feel comfortable and less unsure.

It didn't hurt that Rusl appeared to be from what little he saw a talented knight. He killed four monsters with ease to save him and Tetra, and he was able to save him from falling to his death in a manner of seconds. He completed Niko's obstacle course with relative ease. And every chore that Tetra threw on Niko (who Niko threw on the two of them), Rusl had no problems with. The guy could lift four times the amount of what even Tetra's strongest men could.

Rusl explained that he's used to heavy lifting so it was no problem for him. Link looked at the sword and shield Rusl had laying at his side. No doubt the guy was a really great swordsman too. He bet if Orca ever met him, he'd really like the guy. Link let out another sigh as he scratched his chin sheepishly.

"I...couldn't sleep in the other bunker much. I had a lot on my mind. Is it okay if...if I stay with you for a bit?" He asked nervously.

What was he thinking bothering the knight like this? But he couldn't help it, so much was on his mind. So much happened today, he just needed to be with someone. It wasn't like he was willing to talk to any of the pirates, not that he thinks they would be that willing to help him through it. But maybe this guy would. He seemed so nice and so far was always willing to help Link.

He not only saved his life twice, but he was constantly kind to him. Encouraging him and giving him tips. Not just with the obstacle course, the guy even helped with the chores that Niko threw on him. He gave Link tips how to better pick up heavy boxes and crates. He showed Link how to faster clean floors without wearing yourself out too much. Link had too much to carry thrown on him, Rusl came over and picked up some of the load of weapons that Mako threw at the kid to put away. He was then instructed to basically sharpen all their weapons. Rusl of course quickly finished reloading some of the cannons and then came down to show Link the best way to sharpen a weapon.

While the guy was mysterious and definitely was hiding something, it didn't really bother Link anymore. He couldn't understand why Tetra was so suspicious of him. The guy was very trustworthy. Link could feel that much about him.

Rusl just smiled and gave a slight nod, Link gave a half-smile and sat down next to him. He set down his shield and sword to his right, but he had Aryll's telescope in his lap. It was tied to his belt all day. He hadn't looked at it till now. He tried to push his feelings down though.

Even though he felt like he could trust this guy with anything...that he could tell him anything, Link had to keep reminding himself that he had only known Rusl for a day. He frowned again. It was hard because Rusl made him feel better; more secure despite everything. He needed to confide in someone. But maybe he was asking and expecting too much from the guy.

"Hey, what's wrong? You keep your face in that much distress it might look that permanently." The knight joked.

"I'm sorry you have to keep helping me all the time." Link mumbled.

"There is nothing wrong with helping people. It's my job you know. And I'll have you know I don't mind it one bit." Rusl smiled as he stared up at the ceiling.

"You shouldn't have to keep helping me. I should be able to handle it...I should but—"

He was trembling now. How pathetic was that? He was supposed to become like the hero, leaving childhood behind. But here he was still acting like a child. He shouldn't get scared. He shouldn't let himself cry.

"You aren't invincible kid. No one is." Rusl said.

"I should be! My sister would be safe if I was!" Link raised his voice, his whole body shaking.

Tears were now threatening to spill out of his eyes, so he just locked his eyelids tight. He only opened his eyes when he felt a right hand hold onto his shoulder. The boy looked up but the knight wasn't looking at him; the young man was still looking up at the ceiling.

"Sometimes we think nothing bad could possibly happen to the people we love. They're untouchable, they'll always be there and that won't change. Then something comes along and...and you should have been able to protect them. You should have been able to stop it. And then you are faced with a reality that your loved ones aren't untouchable. That you can't protect them from everything. And then you feel this sensation in your chest, it squeezes at your heart—it hurts and you feel cold. You failed. You failed those you should never fail."

Link could only blink. He remained silent, shocked, as he heard Rusl's words. Everything Rusl said...how could this man understand him so much? How could this guy know exactly how he felt?

"I know it hurts kid. I've been there. While I don't have brothers or sisters, a couple of kids in my village and a childhood friend of mine...well they were the closest thing I've ever known to what it was like to have siblings. I always felt that I could watch over them and protect them. I always felt that nothing bad could happen in our tiny village...that it was untouchable from the dangerous world. Then the dangerous outside world came to us...it took them away from me, and I failed to protect them." Rusl said quietly.

The man licked his lips and took a deep breath. Link remained quiet. He felt a bit guilty, it sounded like Rusl went through a lot, yet here he was still looking out for Link...someone he just met.

"But I'll let you know a secret kid. One of the kids, he was about your age, the whole time when he was captured by monsters, he never gave up hope I'd come for all of them. He believed in me that whole time. And you wanna know something else? I didn't let him down. I found them all, they're safe. Your sister is out there and something tells me she believes you will come save her. And you are going to do it, you won't fail—you are going to be the one to save her."

Link looked down to the ground, shutting his eyes tight again, he felt like he was going to cry.

"H-How can you be so sure?" The boy asked.

"Call it instincts I guess. I just know you will do it. Besides, you don't have to be alone. I had several people help me every step of the way on my journey. And you won't be alone either." The knight lightly squeezed his shoulder.

He hugged onto his sister's telescope, he felt a single tear sneak its way out as it rolled down his cheek.

"Is...is it okay if I still miss her?" He asked tentatively, his eyes still shut tight.

He could feel a lump form in his throat, his mouth felt dry. His eyes itched and burned, threatening to spill out the waterworks. His shoulders and knees trembled. It only got worse when Rusl opened his mouth.

"Of course it's okay."

That was all he needed. He didn't care about anything else anymore. Everything he held back was let out. He buried his head into the knight's chest as the tears poured out, clinging to the telescope tightly. He was thankful Rusl didn't say anything after that, that he didn't judge him for showing weakness. He just kept his hand on the boy's shoulder and let him cry.

* * *

It was silent. The kid cried so much that he eventually exhausted himself to sleep. Link looked down at the young boy, who was holding onto his right hand, while still clinging onto the telescope that his sister gave him. He was resting against his chest, the lad's eyes were puffy, but the tears long gone.

He felt so horrible to see him so distraught like that. A kid shouldn't have to deal with things like this. Sure dealing with it at his age was no picnic either, but at least he was older. This boy was still so young, and it seemed the universe had plans to force him to grow up. It just felt really unfair.

But seeing the kid's tears brought another familiar ache in his chest. Worry for his loved ones. He was certain they were all safe in Kakariko, but for how long? How long would he and Midna be trapped here? How long would his world have to go without their protection? All those innocent people in both his realm and Midna's were counting on the two of them now. And they'd never be able to save Princess Zelda until Zant and his master are defeated. Not to mention Ilia still lost her memory. And what of Ordon Village? Could it possibly go under attack again while he sat here? And what of...

Link sighed. Midna, she probably faced these kinds of questions every day. Cast out of her own home and cursed. Her people transformed into monsters, her palace under control of a madman. He could understand her frustration and fear for her world. He knew it well.

"Link..." Midna appeared next to him from out of his shadow.

Link just nodded but didn't look at her.

"Is the kid okay?" She asked him.

"I think he'll be okay. He just needed to let it all out after holding that in all day, you know?" The Hylian answered.

"Yes I can sympathize, but what about you? Are you okay?" Midna asked.

He looked over to the tall woman sitting next to him, a bit surprised she asked that, but kept his face neutral.

"I suppose, I'm a bit worried about home...both our homes." He sighed.

He felt Midna grab onto his left hand as she pulled closer. Her fingers laced around his, but she didn't look at him, she was looking down at her lap.

"I am worried too." She admitted.

It grew quiet once again. Link was okay with that. Just the sound of the breathing of the three people in the room, and the rocking boat. It was oddly soothing. There was comfort in the silence. He was grateful he at least had Midna by his side the whole time. Indeed they got off to a rough start, but...he would have been so lost without her. He wondered if she felt the same. He couldn't stand the thought of tackling everything alone, grateful he had her companionship and guidance. Though he had a feeling in his gut that to the princess of the Twilight Realm probably felt similar.

"We'll figure something out." Link said quietly.

"We always do." Midna nodded.

Then it felt as if the entire ship shook. It knocked everyone out of their thoughts. Midna was about to say something but kept it in as she jumped back into Link's shadow.

The kid and Link were thrown to the floor, the kid now awake, both looking at each other in bewilderment.

"What was that?" The kid rubbed his eyes.

"I don't know. Let's go up top and check it out."

They got to their feet and the boat shook again. Both of the green clad males stumbled; the kid almost fell down but Link caught him. Link narrowed his eyes as the kid gave a more worried look.

They were then interrupted as the door flew open.

"The ship is under attack! Miss Tetra ordered all hands on deck! Let's move it swabbies!" Niko shouted.

_**-To Be Continued-** _

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of a breather chapter after the action from last time...but I think we all need a breather after that and knowing what I have planned next. (Though more action packed adventures are obviously to come)
> 
> I love how TPLink is such a big brother character, like how he was to Ilia and the kids (Colin, Beth, Talo and Malo). And ugh WWLink and TPLink growing into a big bro/lil bro dynamic just sets the feels in my heart ablaze!
> 
> I really love that about TPLink, it was one of my favorite aspects of that incarnation of Link. How he really seemed to take to children and just naturally was this big brother figure.
> 
> Naturally, because it was described that Rusl was like a big brother figure to TPLink, I thought it was only fitting for TPLink to take the name as his friend and mentor Rusl, and sort of be a Rusl figure to WWLink.
> 
> I also drew some fanart of the two during that moment in the chapter. When WWLink finally is asleep but after being really distraught and is resting up against TPLink. I actually got slightly emotional drawing this. But I'm proud of this drawing! It took me a couple of days but it's one of my best sketches I've ever done I think :)
> 
> http://angelrin89.tumblr.com/post/83572420934/kind-of-spoilerish-but-when-i-do-post-the-chapter-i
> 
> Poor WWLink, agh replaying WWHD again and when Aryll just gets kidnapped and it made you think that kid goes through A LOT! He's so young but this kid goes through hell just to save his little sister! I love WWLink. I kind of wanted to explore that though, because stuff like this would take a toll on a kid. And this all happens on Link's BIRTHDAY! (that really sucks). Nothing says happy birthday to you like your sister getting kidnapped...geez :(
> 
> For those who wanted to know, I will be incorporating elements of both games into this one. Granted it will follow for the most part the WW storyline but there will be several different changes to it, it won't be strict formula after all, Midna and TPLink aren't supposed to be here, so them coming into this story will change a LOT of things. But I think TP and WW will work nicely together in this story.
> 
> I just can't wait for when we get to Forsaken Fortress, that is going to be some interesting stuff!
> 
> And I want to personally thank coolman229 my beta for always being such a huge help!
> 
> See you guys next time, and I hope you loved the chapter! Reviews are appreciated :D


	6. Finding Your Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tetra's pirate ship is under attack! Our young Link feels himself petrified when coming face to face with a sea monster, wondering how "Rusl" can be so brave. "Rusl" of course tells him why he is able to find the courage to fight, and the knight presses forward to fight the monster! The little Link swallows his fears and faces the monster in order to help "Rusl". And when things look dire-the Twilight Princess will be forced to make her move.

 

* * *

Link and the young boy followed after Niko as they ran up back up deck. It was certainly chaos; Tetra's crew firing cannonballs as the normal saltwater air now smelt of gunpowder.

"What is that thing?!" The younger Link cried out.

This creature, whatever it was, had the head of a large fish but from what appeared to be its lower body was more akin to a squid (at least from what he could see). It had razor sharp teeth that were each as long as Link's arm and the size of the monster was huge; just a little bit bigger than the pirate ship itself. The fish head also had multiple eyes. Link counted at least five eyes from what he could see in front, but he had no idea the amount in the back unless he could get a better view behind it. It was covered in green and grey fish scales; even the tentacles that emerged from under the water were covered in scales.

Link had seen many strange and creepy monsters over the course of his adventure with Midna, so unlike most on the ship he didn't really bat an eyelash at its appearance.

"Tch—I've never seen a sea monster like this one, and certainly not this big before! Just our luck! Zuko, Nudge, Mako, Senza—keep blasting that ugly thing! Gonzo, try to steer us away from it as much as you can! I don't want to engage it longer than we have too! Niko and Link, go get some more gunpowder! Rusl I need you to get us more cannonballs!" Tetra ordered as she began to climb the ladder, a telescope in her hand.

"Aye-aye Miss Tetra!" The pirates cried in unison as they followed their orders.

"Tetra what are you doing?" The boy called up to Tetra.

"I'm going up top! I'm going to see if this thing has a weak spot!" She yelled back down as she kept climbing.

The older blond looked down at the younger one. The Hylian felt a pang of sympathy in his heart when he observed the boy. The thirteen year old had a slight crease in his brows and there was a brief twitching of both brows. The small blond's lips were pressed into a thin line and they even looked a little pale. His shoulders were very tense. The kid even appeared to be holding his breath.

"You okay?" He asked the lad.

The boy let out a very quiet gasp and let out the breath he was holding. He glanced up at Link; surprise and fear written on his face. He stood submissive, fists clenched into tight balls at his sides. He lowered his head to stare down at his feet.

"How can you be so calm Rusl? You don't look the least bit surprised or scared? I've never seen something like this! How do we even—"

Link placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. He could empathize. Knowing full well how frightening monsters you never even knew existed were. Then being forced to deal with them when you don't even have the slightest clue what to do. Like a cornered rat with no way out.

"Truth to be told kid, most of the time I am scared. But something I had to learn over my travels was that bravery doesn't mean you're fearless, it means you fight on despite being scared. I fight because there are those that need my help, so I can't afford to let myself back down or let my fears rule me." Despite the chaos going on, Link found himself giving advice to the boy just as his mentor and older friend Rusl did for him time and time again, "But it's not easy. There are many times where I still let my fear get the best of me, and I lose calm and control. That is dangerous kid, don't let your fear rule you or you will find in battle you'll pay the price for it."

"Hey swabbies—get a move on! You heard Miss Tetra!" Niko called out to them.

Link motioned with his head for the kid to go follow Niko. The boy seemed hesitant as he wanted to stay with "Rusl", but the boy nodded and followed the buck-toothed man to grab more supplies of gun powder.

Everyone was busy so now was a good time as any. Link hid behind a couple of supplies of crates and looked down into his shadow. Only Midna's head emerged from his shadow, the rest of her body remaining within his shadow. He was thankful it was night, but still—neither wanted to risk her being seen while they could help it.

"So what do you think?" He asked the Twili princess.

"I noticed that the creature tends to try to block its eyes every time a cannonball gets near, or it will dive under to dodge the assault before it comes up again. The eyes, those are its weak spots. My guess is if you attack all its eyes it will neutralize the monster." Midna advised.

"Yeah, and how much you wanna bet the only reason it hasn't attacked again yet is that it's waiting for the right moment to strike?" Link frowned.

"I agree. It's best you take it out as quickly as possible. This ship is at a huge disadvantage fighting this monster in its territory. As are all these pirates." Midna nodded then added, "Link I think we should switch you out to the Zora's armor...just in case."

Link gave a slight nod of agreement, "Alright, switch me out then. Also, I'll need my bow and arrows...let's attach bombs to the arrows."

"Well, you aim to give it quite the eyesore don't you?" Midna giggled.

He chuckled but said nothing. Tetra knew these high seas better and encountered monsters before (though none as big as this one). She was keen on her orders to her men; the girl felt strongly that cannonballs would be strong enough to damage it. The pirates haven't been able to hit it, but he should be able to with his bomb arrows. They would be strong enough to do damage like cannonballs.

Midna's head slipped back into his shadow as a small burst of shadow magic shot out of his shadow. It quickly wrapped around Link and soon as the magic dissipated, his green hero's garb was switched out with the Zora's armor. The clawshot still attached to his belt, and the bow and quiver now around his back.

Link pulled an arrow out and noticed the normally large bombs had shrunken in size so it would fit in his quiver. He smiled, ever thankful for Midna's shadow magic. As the bombs would return to their normal size the moment the arrowhead is tapped against any surface that is not inside the quiver, and remained this small size when in there. He didn't quite fully grasp the limits or extent of Midna's magic, but comprehending it really didn't matter to him so long as it helped him with his battles.

He placed the arrow back into the quiver and came out from his hiding place. Link made his way up the ladder; startling Tetra as he made it to the top.

"What the heck? Rusl! What are you doing here? Why aren't you doing what I told you to do?! And what the heck are you wearing—where did you get the time to change into that ridiculous outfit?!" Tetra shouted question after question.

"No time to explain." He said simply as he pulled out his bow and a single arrow.

He tapped the tip of the arrowhead against his foot; Link ignored Tetra's small gasp as the tiny bomb now grew to its original size while attached to the arrow. He pulled back the bowstring and aimed the arrow...the fuse of the bomb ignited instantly when it returned to its previous size.

Thankfully the creature was distracted by the other pirates and the cannon fire. There was a blind spot open with an eye on the top of the creature's head.

Link let the arrow go; it flew through the air unsuspecting. An explosion went off as it made contact with the top eye. The creature howled in pain. The howl sounded like a mix between the squealing of a boar and the roar of a dodongo, but it was distorted and mixed in with gurgling as well.

The once yellow eyes with green pupils were now bloodied, burnt, and half shut...its color now orange as well instead of yellow.

"How the heck did you do that?!" Tetra gaped.

"Well usually you just aim and shoot, but that stuff takes practice." Link answered dryly.

She glared up at him. She obviously didn't find his joke amusing. Midna would probably be laughing at it right now if she weren't concealing herself.

"Not that you idiot! I'm talking about that thing with the bomb, how did you make it do that? And how is something that big not weighing down your arrow after firing it?!" She questioned him in an exasperated tone.

Link paused and just looked at her with a neutral expression.

"Magic." He answered with a shrug.

She glared harder at him, "Fine! Keep to your secrets! See if I care!"

Link bit back a smirk. He wasn't really keen on wanting to tease her and get on her bad side. He supposed this was payback for some of her comments directed at him and the boy, not that he was one to hold a grudge over something so small. But he did understand why Midna teased him mercilessly like she did...there was some odd sense of satisfaction seeing her reaction. Especially when he actually did tell her the truth just now.

The amusement however was cut short as both of them heard the creature let out another howl. This one however did not sound like one out of pain...the creature was angry,  _very_ angry.

A large tentacle emerged from the water. The tentacle came so fast, it swat at the mast like a person trying to swat a bug. Link didn't have to think twice, he grabbed Tetra immediatedly and jumped down from the tumbling mast. Tetra was screaming something but Link wasn't listening, but it was clear damage like that done to the ship would seriously put them all in huge trouble.

The moment Link landed on the ground, Link felt his eyes widen as a large, glowing orange hand emerged from his shadow. The speed of the twilight magic arm was almost as fast as Link could blink. It grabbed the mast before it could fall any further. Midna still did not emerge from his shadow, but the shadow magic in which she could shape her hair was. It propped the mast back into place. Then the hand glowed a bit brighter, black and teal floating squares poured out of the magical hand that had the mast in its grip. The hand let go and slid into his shadow again. The black and teal squares now formed into a barrier around the mast, a magical cast for the wooden mast to keep it in place for now.

Link knew Midna was probably cursing to herself. All eyes were on him now, and they most definitely were not keeping a low profile after that. And they certainly weren't helping prevent any further suspicion being raised. But what was done was done. And they certainly couldn't let something as important as that be lost and further break the ship. They'd be sitting ducks without it. Midna would never risk anything unless she felt it was absolutely necessary.

Tetra momentarily composed herself after Link set her down. The young pirate captain turned to her crew and yelled at them for gawking and not doing their job. The pirates scurried back to their duties and Tetra turned back to him. There wasn't anger in her face anymore...only shock and suspicion.

"When all of this is over, no more secrets. You are telling me just who you are and where you come from." She said seriously.

Link sighed as the sound of cannon fire filled the air once more.

"Well I suppose Miss Tetra...but only if my princess allows it." Link just shrugged, trying to pretend he wasn't the least bit nervous.

Not that he was afraid of Tetra if she knew the full truth. It was just so much was happening all at once, and he was having a hard time keep up with it.

Tetra frowned but said nothing. Link resumed to hide behind crates and fire bomb arrows when the moment presented itself. The creature howled in pain once more when Link hit a second eye. But he didn't let up, he hit the third, fourth and fifth eye on the front of the creature.

The howling and screeching only got louder, the creature violently thrashed in the water back and forth. It dove into the water and after five minutes a calm settled.

"Is it over?" Zuko inquired.

"I doubt it." Senza scoffed.

"No it's still out there, probably planning its counter attack. We should be extra careful. A cornered beast is angry and desperate, and they will fight back twice as hard." Nudge advised.

They saw two tentacles emerge from the waters to the left side of the ship. Everyone readied into their positions.

"Tetra, look out!" The kid yelled.

The boy's warning snapped Link himself to attention, another tentacle emerged from the water to the right of the ship, far more quietly. The tentacle gripped the captain, preparing to drag her down into the sea. Link however unsheathed his Master Sword in a heartbeat. He only ran three steps before leaping into the air, bringing the sword down. A clean slice straight through the tentacle, as Tetra dropped on the floor behind him.

They heard a muffled howl of pain from under the saltwater and the two other tentacles coiled back into the water instantly. The current one that Link lopped off was flopping like a fish before it finally stopped dead.

"Ugh! That's so gross!" Niko gagged.

Link turned around to check and see if Tetra was okay. He saw shock in the girl's face once more. But it was not the same as earlier with either the bomb arrows or even Midna's twilight hand and magic propping up the mast. There was no distrust or suspicion in her eyes. It was pure shock...and almost, awe...like she was marveling at something?

Surely it couldn't be him. There is no way someone like her would be impressed with something as simple as him slicing the tentacle after everything else she'd seen today.

"Where...where did you get that sword Rusl?" The girl asked quietly, taking a short breath as she continued to gape at what he held in his left hand.

Link peered at his sword then remembered where he came from...Princess Zelda called it the blade of evil's bane. It was a legendary blade that was said to belong to the Legendary Hero—the one chosen by the Gods. The one whose spirit lives on inside Link himself.

This pirate girl...she recognized this blade? Link knew he was getting an odd yet familiar feeling off this girl. Plus Midna suspected there was something different about her compared to the other pirates, but now this...?

"What do you know about this sword?" He countered his question quietly to her.

They remained silent, neither she nor him broke eye contact as a tense feeling arose in the air around them. But before either could answer one another, the creature emerged from the sea once more. The other side of its head it was now showing to them. It had three other eyes, ones that were currently untouched and another mouth, on the backside of its head. It was smaller than the mouth on the other side of the head, and the teeth were about half the size of the other set of teeth on the other mouth. It was furious; frothing from its mouth and let out a blood-curdling roar.

Another tentacle was popped out of the water, but this one was moving far faster than the other attack. And this one was now heading for the boy, the other Link.

"Kid!"

Link didn't have to think twice. It was instinct, his feet picked themselves up and dashed towards the boy who was frozen in fear. The boy seemed like a statue as his eyes widened and his face paled. Link shoved the boy in time, holding out his sword and shield to the oncoming attack. The Hylian Shield braced itself as the tentacle swat at him. He was probably going to have a bruise on his right arm but he at least managed to knock that tentacle away. He moved to slice that tentacle too.

However he messed up.

Link let his guard down and forgotten its previous tactic when it attacked Tetra. While everyone was distracted with what was in front of them, they did not notice the silent tentacle that emerged from the sea behind them. They all realized this too late when Link felt himself in the crushing grip of the scaly tentacle.

"Rusl!" He heard Tetra scream his name.

Unfortunately it grabbed onto him so fast that he dropped his shield. As it pulled Link backwards towards the water; he noticed that his bow, quiver, and clawshot had fallen off him as well. His left hand however was still free with the Master Sword still firmly in his grip. He felt himself thankful for that blessing as he was submerged into the saltwater. He was also thankful for the blessing of the Zora's armor as he was pulled towards the creature from under the ship. He still clamped his eyes shut however. The armor covered his mouth and helped him breath, but it would not shelter his now stinging eyes from the saltwater.

He was pulled back out of the water as he was held up to the face of the creature. It growled as its three eyes all glared at its prey. It seemed like it was going to try to eat Link.

"Big mistake..." The Hylian snorted.

Link with his free arm slashed the Master Sword downwards in a diagonal direction at the eye directly above the mouth. It howled in pain once more, as blood poured out of the gash in the middle of the eye, however the eye's yellow did not turn orange. Link grit his teeth; he damaged one of the weak points but it was not enough. He needed his bomb arrows for that.

Link could hear it let out a distorted hiss; snarled and glared at him with more rage with its two eyes and the damaged third one.

It then squeezed Link harder. The Hylian had endured a lot of pain over the course of his battles. This was no different. However the sensation of being squeezed like a grape before you pop was definitely one of the worst pains he'd ever had. He could feel his very bones of his ribs and right arm cracking under the pressure. His blood vessels and muscles in his arms and chest felt like they were going to burst, and he could barely breath. Even still he screamed loud enough that it hurt his own ears, though the pain to his lungs was far worse from his screams.

Whatever bruising previously from the force of the tentacle striking his shield was nothing compared to probably the bruises on his skin now. The pain got worse as the creature seemed to have the ability to send out small pulses of electricity through its tentacles. It was not strong enough to kill him or even burn his skin. But it was certainly strong enough he could feel the sting of the electricity course through every cell in his body. It would briefly shock him for a few seconds only for it to pause for about a minute, and then repeated it the same period of shocks and reprieve from shocks over and over while it continued to squeeze the daylights out of Link.

He felt a sensation bubble up then squeeze his heart, and light wave of nausea wash over him. The nausea could be from the pain and small static pulses, but it could also be another reason too. The same reason he was feeling an unbearable sensation squeeze and claw at his chest currently.

He was afraid...even more so than earlier. He couldn't die here. Not here. Not to some pathetic sea monster in some unknown land and era. Who would help Midna and stop Zant? Who would rescue Princess Zelda and Hyrule? Was Epona alright? Who would restore Ilia's memories? Would she and the children remain safe in Kakariko? Would Ordon Village remain safe as well? What about all the other people he befriended along the way—would they be free from harm? Who would save the Light and Twilight Realm?

They all needed him and he was going to let them all down because he got careless. He saw each of the faces of his loved ones in his mind, of his home and the places he traveled, he saw the face of Midna...then fought back the nausea as he continued to scream through the pain he endured. His mind felt slightly numb.

He didn't want to die. He didn't want to fail them.

* * *

The young lad just stared out into the sea from the cold deck where he remained sitting, immobile like a stone. Link couldn't think or process what was going on. That thing was coming for him, but then Rusl showed up and defended him.

Rusl—the knight seemed practically invincible to the boy...up until this moment. Link swallowed a hard lump caught in his throat as he felt his chest tighten the instant he heard those awful screams escape Rusl's mouth. That monster was squeezing him to death. Then it looked like it was shocking him too.

This was all his fault. If he just moved Rusl wouldn't have come to his rescue. Link blinked rapidly to keep himself from crying. His heart was pounding in his head as the guilt was gnawing at every corner of his mind. He felt his breath quicken as his body stiffened up further.

Link was so lost in his shell-shocked thoughts that he didn't notice Tetra yelling at the others to keep firing. Only for them to state they can't as they don't want to risk hitting Rusl.

Link's fists balled even tighter that they trembled and his knuckles paled. He couldn't take his eyes off Rusl's screaming and thrashing form. The man did not once let go of the grip of his sword despite the pain he was obviously in. But it seemed he was in too much pain to think how to properly use it.

 _"This...this is my fault. If I wasn't such a coward...I'm such a coward and good for nothing failure! All I've done today is get myself into trouble only to burden Rusl!"_  He thought as he continued to blink rapidly to keep any tears from falling out.

An ache began to throb in between both his eyebrows, a headache coming on. His palms became clammy and he bit the inside of his cheek as his breathing got shorter. His heart felt like it was heavy and was going to drop from his chest straight into his stomach.

"How could you just stand there like an idiot?!"

Link was snapped out of his thoughts as he looked up at Tetra who was yelling at him to his right. He was so out of it that he didn't even notice her stomp up to him.

"That thing was coming straight for you and you just sat there like some stupid guppy waiting to be eaten! If it weren't for Rusl, you'd be the one squeezed to chu jelly right now! And now look! Rusl's going to die because you sat there and did nothing! I knew bringing you was a mistake! You still think a scaredy cat like you is going to be able to save his sister?!" The girl's yells was mix with anger and distraught.

Link felt himself take a sharp breath and hold it the moment Tetra mentioned his sister.

 _"Aryll..."_  He forced his eyes shut.

The memory of his sister smiling and holding out her telescope was in his mind.

_"I'm going to give you my most treasured possession, Happy Birthday Link!"_

His poor little sister; the one he should have protected but couldn't do anything for.

The memory of her frightened face as she was snatched up and spirited away haunted every corner of his mind as a two tears finally escaped each eye. It slightly stung as they rolled down his dry cheeks.

He finally opened his eyes as he stared down at the floor from where he was sitting. He blinked rapidly once more not just so his vision wouldn't be blurred by any wet tears, but also to prevent any more from falling out. As dumb as it was, he didn't want Tetra to see him like this.

It was then Link noticed that grappling thing that Rusl used to save him from falling to his death. He then looked over and noticed about a foot away from it was Rusl's bow and quiver filled with those exploding arrows. He tried to remember what Rusl did to make them do that; when he watched the young man shoot them...yes! He tapped them against his foot!

_"Truth to be told kid, most of the time I am scared. But something I had to learn over my travels was that bravery doesn't mean you're fearless, it means you fight on despite being scared. I fight because there are those that need my help, so I can't afford to let myself back down or let my fears rule me."_

Rusl's advice from earlier was now whispering in his mind.

Rusl did so much for him when they barely knew each other, the young man put his life on the line for Link. He protected him and gave him words of encouragement and was there for him when he needed to show a moment of weakness. This man somehow understood how the boy felt and did so much for Link in just one day.

_"But it's not easy. There are many times where I still let my fear get the best of me, and I lose calm and control. That is dangerous kid, don't let your fear rule you or you will find in battle you'll pay the price for it."_

More of the knight's words continued to play in his mind as Link bit his lower lip.

 _"Are you scared right now Rusl? You must be. Fighting for your life, fighting for everyone...fighting so you can see your friends again. You must miss them and fear for them every moment you're away from them. But you still try. Do you try because you have to? Or do you try because you do it for them?"_  The boy pondered.

He stood up and scooped up the item that Rusl called a clawshot. He then took a couple of steps over to the bow and scooped up a single arrow from the quiver. He didn't really have any experience with archery. Nor did he know how Rusl could get an arrow with this bomb attached to it fly so far and not weigh it down. But he quickly formed a last minute plan in his mind. This should at least free Rusl, as well as give the others an opening to freely attack the monster with the cannons.

"What are you doing?" Tetra asked.

"I'm g-going to h-help Rusl." He answered shakily.

"What? You? Mr. Freeze Up? Give me a break—your legs are still shaking!" The blond girl placed both hands on her hips.

"Yes I am scared. And you're right Tetra, I'm no good to my sister if I keep wimping out like this. But it doesn't matter that I'm scared, because Rusl said real courage comes from continuing to fight despite being afraid. And I can't sit and do nothing, not ever again. After what happened to Aryll and now Rusl—I'm not going to let that happen again no matter how frightened I am!" Link fought to keep his legs from shaking and continued to speak, "I owe Rusl my life, and I'm not about to let him down. Besides he's got friends he needs to return to, friends he has to protect...and a home that's waiting for him. If I let him die here...then whatever bad things that happen to his friends and home will be my fault too!"

Tetra for the most part seemed speechless as she just stared at Link.

"And I have something to fight for, that's to save my sister and both of us return home safely to our grandma! I have to fight no matter what terrifying thing comes at me...for her sake. I can't let this stop me! She's depending on me!" He said with more determination in his voice.

It was strange; Tetra's scolding, thinking of his dear little sister, and as well as Rusl's example...it ignited some sort of fire inside Link. His legs actually stopped shaking. He was still scared but...it wasn't as paralyzing as it was before. He could breathe normal. The pounding in his head seemed to cease. His chest no longer felt tight or heavy. His heart was still pounding but it didn't feel unbearable. He was still nervous, had a headache, and his hands were still clammy; but he didn't feel as terrible as a couple of minutes ago.

He turned and smiled at Tetra; her expression was that of confusion, as she just blinked three times in response.

"Thanks Tetra, for reminding me what's important." He said with a short laugh.

The girl tensed up and bristled a bit. And...well it was dark so it was hard to tell, but it seemed like she was blushing.

"Ha! I didn't yell at you because I was trying to help you! You just looked pathetic, pipsqueak!" She snorted and crossed her arms.

Okay, she was definitely blushing...he quirked an eyebrow at her. Link didn't understand why she was embarrassed. The boy just shrugged it off and climbed to the edge of the ship.

"Hey, Link! What are you plan—"

Link fired the "clawshot" contraption. It stabbed into the creature's skin. The creature hissed in pain but seemed to still be paying more attention to Rusl. He pressed a button and it pulled him toward the creature at an incredible speed. Link quickly tapped the arrowhead against his boot as the tiny bomb grew in size.

The fire that he felt in his chest, it started to burn brighter within him. His heart was beating rapidly as he felt his blood pumping in his veins. Sweat was beating down his head and neck. Tears streamed down his face, but not from fear or sorrow; but rather the wind blowing rapidly in his face, and the boy refusing to close his eyes. Link let an adrenaline filled scream escape his lungs, as he came towards one of the creatures eyes, aiming the bomb arrow in his hand to stab the creature directly.

"Link!" Tetra cried out.

"That kid is crazy!" He heard Gonzo scream.

The moment he got to the eye, the arrowhead stabbed through and the second it made contact, the bomb exploded. Link could remember heat and his left hand in such searing pain, more than he'd ever experienced in his entire life. Everything got hot and his eyes felt like they were on fire when he shut them tight. He felt a throbbing sensation in his skin, and the smell of burnt skin. It was disgusting and made him nauseous. He wasn't sure if that smell was coming from him or the monster though. But that was the last thing he remembered before his vision started to flash colors of red and purple before he blacked out entirely.

* * *

The eighteen year old Hylian was finally freed from the grip of the sea monster. But he was horrified when he witnessed why it released him. The boy had a bomb arrow in one of his hands, and chose to attack it directly with that arrow.

Link was pretty sure he had cracked and fractured bones. It hurt to breath, it hurt to move...especially his arm. But he saw a small floating body and fought through the pain and immediately swam to the kid. The monster retreated back underwater, but Link's priority at that moment was checking to make sure the kid was still alive.

"Kid! Kid!" He finally reached the boy, "Kid!"

The boy's hair was damaged, his hat and the fabric on his chest was burnt and practically shredded. Most of the boy's face, his chest and left arm were also bloody and burnt badly. His eyes were also purple and swollen. Link was amazed the boy still had a left arm after that. He placed two fingers at the boy's neck to check his pulse, and miraculously he still had one.

Somehow the boy survived a point blank explosion in his face. Link himself had survived those before, but he was also older, stronger, and could endure serious injurious the more battles and monsters he faced, increasing his strength and stamina. But the boy was so young and still had a fragile body. But somehow he survived and had his limbs intact. Link silently prayed to the Goddesses in gratitude for watching over the boy.

"You're gonna be something special kid..." Was all Link could squeeze out in his amazement of the situation.

* * *

"Gonzo hurry, we gotta get those two! They're dead meat so long as they float out there!" Tetra barked.

That monster could pop out at any moment. She scanned the waters as she felt sweat slide down her brow. She licked her dry lips and let out a shaky breath.

She had met them both only today, and Rusl definitively was not what he appeared to be. Plus that sword...he was definitely keeping important secrets from them. And Link was an annoying pipsqueak. But they were both nice people. Even if they got on her nerves she didn't want to see them hurt. Plus as much as she hated to admit it...both of them came to her aid and protected her. She owed them.

It was her fault that Link's sister got kidnapped, and now because she goaded the boy on—he went and did something stupid like this. But that was meaningless right now; what was important was that she  _had_ to save them!

"Miss Tetra we're not going to make it to them in time!" She heard Mako cry next to her.

She gasped as she saw the monster break the water's surface once more and tower over the two injured blonds. Rusl raised his sword and held onto the unconscious Link tightly. But even if that was the real legendary blade she'd read about and seen in all those ancient paintings...it was practically a toothpick compared to the danger they were in.

She heard Zuko shriek, shouting they were fresh out of cannonballs. There was really nothing she could do for them.

"No..." Tetra let out weakly as she saw in open its mouth, preparing to dive over them and swallow the two boys whole.

The monster halted however and everyone gasped. Something appeared right in front of Link and Rusl. It was dark and hard to see, but Tetra could make out a tall black hooded figure that was hovering over the water.

"What the heck?!" Niko jumped from behind her.

"Where did they come from?" She heard Senza say beside her.

" _What_ is that?!" Mako emphasized.

Tetra stared with bewilderment mixed with shock. Her whole crew had gone silent. The very night air seemed to still. Even the monster froze, uncertain and unsure of this being that appeared into thin air. Assessed them, judging to see if they are a threat.

So many strange things had happened to them today. This was just another thing added to the list.

Where  _had_  it (whatever that was) come from?

* * *

She could not stand by and let it happen any longer. Link and the twerp were in danger. It was getting far too messy. Link was far too injured to protect himself or the boy.

He wouldn't be in this predicament if he focused more, but he always did tend to lose focus whenever a child (or a friend) was in close proximity to danger while he was around. He would let himself be overcome with fear and worry over the well-being of the child or his loved ones, when he should allow his mind to remain sharp and clear on the battle at hand. He'd become reckless and careless.

But that was of no importance right now. What's done is done; Link and the boy were in serious trouble. There were too many witnesses...but there were too many witnesses when the mast was struck down. Her hand was forced; just as it was now. She was not about to have anything happen to Link.

Much has been taken from her. Ripped from her very grasp; denied her full powers, her home, her throne, her people, her family and friends. She wasn't going to see Link added to that list if she could help it.

"M-Midna? Wh-what are you doing?! Everyone c-can see you!" Link exclaimed from behind her.

Midna could hear the strain in his voice. No doubt his ribs were broken from the creature.

"I know that." She said plainly, then her voice became as ice, "But I'm not about to let some hideous monster kill my wolf."

The sea monster roared and bared its teeth once more; moving to swallow all three of them. Despite no longer being in her imp form, Midna could still transform her hair as she saw fit. It grew in size again and formed into two large hands. They grabbed the creature's upper and lower jaw, forcing it to halt and keeping its mouth open.

"How interesting. We have an eye on the roof of the inside of your mouth as well." Midna noted.

But this eye was different. It was green with a purple colored pupil, and the pupil was shaped like a triangle. The eye was also throbbing.

"Something tells me this one is more important than the others. I wonder what would happen if I were to destroy it." The Twili narrowed her eyes.

She created a black and blue ball of energy above her head. The power behind this attack would be far more deadly than a bomb. She flicked her wrist and sent it inside the creature's mouth before forcing its jaw shut with her magical Twili created hands. The sound of the blast was far quieter than a regular bomb as well, as the magic exploded within the creature's mouth.

The two eyes left (the third one which had a gash across it thanks to Link, and was put out of commission thanks to the smaller Link), had turned their yellow color now to orange. The creature thrashed and thrashed before its entire body was engulfed in green fire. It was slowly disintegrating before their very eyes. It let out one last howl that echoed through the seas.

The sea returned to calm once more, the sound of the wind and waves were so tranquil. Almost as if what happened was just a bad dream. Midna took a deep breath and turned to her companion and the unconscious child in his arms. She floated over to them and inspected them both.

"M-Midna." Link looked up at her with an unreadable expression.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Well I w-was almost crushed to death and shocked...but other th-than that you know, the usual...but man, you've b-been holding out on me." Link squeezed out some good-natured teasing despite the pain he was in.

"I'm royalty. I shouldn't have to get my hands dirty." Midna teased back but then frowned, "Remain still, I'll get you both back to the ship."

"But wh-what about—"

"Worry about that later Link. Getting you two safely aboard the ship and fixed up is more important right now." Midna instructed as she used her shadow magic to levitate them both out of the water.

She carried them both to the ship without interruption and set them down gently. She ignored how the pirates were all staring at her as if she had grown a second head in that split second. The princess placed a hand on Link's forehead. His skin still radiated warmth despite being soaked to the bone in from the crisp cold seawater. He just smiled up at her but she could see the pain that radiated from his blue eyes. He was trying to put on a brave face for her sake so she wouldn't worry.

 _"Typical hero. Always thinking about everyone else but yourself."_  She quietly sighed.

She removed her hand from Link's forehead and rose to her feet. She made a turn and moved towards the young blond girl; her footsteps were light and barely audible. The twilight princess continued to ignore the shocked expressions of those around her.

"Are there any potions on board your ship?" She asked.

There was a pregnant pause. Midna half wondered if they were surprised she could speak or if they were still just shocked from her appearance in general.

"I...what?" The girl blinked.

"Are there. Any potions. On board. Your ship?" Midna said more slowly and with emphasis.

The Twili ignored the stares only because those two were hurt, but if they continue to gawk like morons she was going to become very cross with these pirates.

"Well I...uh...hey Mako? We're restocked on potions right?" The young pirate girl tried to return to her authoritative atmosphere, but was having a hard time doing it as she was obviously still in a state of disbelief.

"Oh um...well...oh right Miss! Um...we unfortunately were not able to—"

It seemed her subordinate's blunder was enough to snap the girl out of her stupor. As she rapidly slipped back to her usual self.

"What do you mean we're not restocked?! I gave you a specific order that before we left Windfall Island a week ago to put someone in charge of checking the supplies and making sure we were restocked!" Tetra snapped.

"Well of course Miss! It was Niko's turn to take care of the restocking of potions! I was going to inform you he neglected that duty when I found out this morning, but...well that monster bird grabbed you and it slipped my mind after all the craziness that went down today!" The tiny man sputtered.

"Hey! Don't hang me out to dry here! I mean you should have checked that stuff days ago!" Niko defended.

"We still wouldn't be in this predicament you fool if you had just done your job instead of goofing off!" Mako shouted.

"Both of you shut up!" Tetra screamed at them before going into a rant at her subordinates' carelessness.

The princess of the Twilight Realm let out a heavy sigh as her bare feet practically slid across the wet wooden floor. She knelt back down next to her Link and the smaller one; paying no heed to the bickering pirates and their young captain.

"It seems we have no choice." She stated.

"Y-yeah...seems like it. B-but I want the kid to h-have the tears." Link murmured through clenched teeth.

"What? Link, those tears were a special gift from the Great Fairy! Use that for your own injuries, we can use a fairy to heal the boy!" She huffed through a whisper.

"Midna, you kn-know as well as I do th-that even if f-fairies can save me from near death, th-they don't fully heal the extent of s-serious injuries, just enough t-to let you still move around and br-breath. The t-tears can f-fully restore a p-person to p-perfect health, no matter how s-serious the injury. Th-the kid is m-much worse for wear th-than I am. I'm n-not even bleeding, but he h-hasn't stopped. And h-his skin has serious b-burns, not too m-mention the d-damage done to h-his eyes. He needs th-these tears more." Link whispered back, but still was clearly strained with every word he spoke.

She let out a sigh of displeasure. He was right but that didn't mean she had to like it. Nothing against the kid and not that she wanted to see him suffer; she just wished Link would learn to worry more about himself for one second for a change. She hated seeing him like this.

A fairy would restore Link's strength and stamina and restore quite a bit of his health, but he wouldn't be back up to one hundred percent. That's part of what bothered her. He will not be fighting at full strength when they get to the fortress...unless he used both fairies he had with them. But Link wouldn't do something so careless when they don't know what could be waiting for them there. No he'd save that last one for an emergency.

She relented to his demands anyway. He was far too stubborn when it came to these things. And she knew he'd demand the lad be healed first. She'll let him have this round for now. But she wasn't going to let him off easy later for this.

However she had to agree regardless. The boy was far more damaged. It would take two fairies to get him back to full health and recovery. But Link was older and has dealt with serious injuries before. He'd know how to handle a little bit of pain. This boy is far too young to know what it's like to continue walking into battle after battle. He does not have the strength or stamina for that yet. He needed to be at his best if he was to save his little sister.

Using her magic she pulled out Link's bottle filled with the Great Fairy's Tears. She took half the liquid out with her magic. The purple liquid suspended in the air in a bubble holding it.

"Hold the boy up." She instructed her companion.

Despite the pain he was in, Link positioned the boy to sit more upright. The boy was unconscious so he couldn't drink the contents of the magical healing tears. To get the full healing effect it needed to be swallowed. But if she slathered a bit on his skin, it could perhaps be absorbed just enough to partially heal the kid. That in turn hopefully will help the boy back to consciousness.

She separated the liquid into smaller droplets; allowing it to drizzle over the boy's damaged clothes, and the bloodied and burnt skin. Interestingly enough, not only did the bleeding stop and cleaned a little bit of the burnt wounds up—but it also repaired the damaged fabric back to its original state. Even his hair looked clean and untouched.

They noticed the boy slightly stir, mumbling something about his sister and grandmother deliriously. It was hard to understand. Link then took the bottle with his left hand from Midna's as he glanced down at the boy with relief pouring out of his expression.

"H-hey kid, it's Rusl. I know you're d-disoriented and in a lot of pain, but I need you to open your mouth and dr-drink this. It will heal y-you right up." Link said gently to the boy despite the pain talking was from his broken ribs.

The lad did not open his eyes still; he winced and mumbled something else. But he then nodded weakly and parted his lips. Link tilted the bottle as the purple liquid poured into the boy's mouth. A single drop streamed down the corner of the kid's lips and the drop fallen from his chin onto his green shirt. That single drop vanished as it was absorbed into the fabric. The boy swallowed all of the remaining contents and Link pulled the bottle away.

Midna heard the pirates all gasp in unison as the boy's body began to glow a golden color. It seemed they stopped their annoying bickering to see what Link and Midna were doing.

The swelling in the boy's eyes had gone down and the skin became its regular color. His skin had completely healed. Every open wound, as well as the damaged and burnt skin, it all returned to normal. The golden color faded away and Midna could see the boy's pale skin was returning to its natural color.

She wasted no time however, as she put the spare bottle away and pulled out another with her magic. This time it contained a fairy. She handed it to Link, and took the half conscious boy from his arms. He pulled the cork off the top and the glowing winged creature escaped, flying all around him, covering him in glittery dust. The dust and the fairy vanished. Link stood up and stretched his limbs a bit. Testing things out to see just how much was healed.

"I wouldn't push yourself too much these next two days. Your bones are healed, but your muscles are probably still bruised." Midna instructed.

"Yeah, I am a bit sore. But at least it doesn't hurt to breath or talk. And I can bend my right arm without wincing." Link sighed with relief as he rolled his shoulders and bent his right arm back and forth.

Midna heard a sound come from the boy in her arms. She noticed his eyes slightly flicker open and his form stirred some more. She set him down the moment he started to move.

The boy shook his head before rubbing it. He glanced at his hand and his body; a smile now on his face. He dropped the clawshot that was firmly in the grip of his other hand. He seemed both very curious but very relieved he wasn't damaged anymore.

"I remember being in so much pain earlier, but it doesn't hurt at all anymore? But I look okay. Hey!" He looked up and saw Link, "Rusl! You're okay!"

"Thanks to you kid." Link pat the boy on the head, "You really saved my neck out there."

The boy blushed, grinning from ear to ear as he rubbed his nose.

"You know, you weren't wearing that outfit earlier. When did you have time to change into that? Where'd you get it?" The boy inquired guilelessly.

Link just chuckled before rising to his feet, "It's kind of a long story."

"Oh yeah? Well I'd like to hear it!"

Link, the boy, and Midna all turned around to see Tetra looking very displeased. Both hands on her hips and tapping her foot against the wood floor.

"Out with it! You've been keeping secrets! Just what's your story? Your  _full_ story!" The young blond narrowed her eyes.

Midna let out a giggle; that halted the girl for a moment. She recovered however and instead turned her glare towards the tall woman.

"He doesn't really owe you any answers. The man did save your life. If anything you're the one who owes him answers." The red-head smirked.

She wanted answers most definitely. But the girl was hot-headed and oh so entertaining. There was nothing wrong with a little harmless teasing.

Midna noticed from the corner of her eye the young lad did a double take and was now gawking at the princess. Obviously he didn't notice her until now. But Midna continued to keep her red eyes focused on the young pirate girl.

"Just what are you anyway?" Tetra asked hotly.

"Now where are your manners little girl? Most people would ask  _who_  I am, not  _what_  I am." Midna teased.

Tetra let out a little growl of annoyance but paused when she saw "Rusl" step in front of the hooded woman.

"So remember that princess I spoke about...well, this is her." Link introduced politely.

_**-To Be Continued-** _

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sea monster I essentially combined three Zelda monsters. The squid/octopus monsters you fight in Wind Waker in the open sea, the ones with multiple eyes that pop out of whirlpools and the only way to fight them is shooting your bombs into their eyes. The other is that eel you fight in the Lakebed Temple in Twilight Princess. The color scheme and the mouth from that monster I placed on this one. And the electric attack part I just got from that jellyfish monster you fight inside Jabu-Jabu's belly in Ocarina of Time.
> 
> TPLink does a lot of saving, but he's not the only Link in this story. WWLink gets a moment to show why he deserves to be an inheritor of Courage too.
> 
> Midna finally reveals herself. Her and Tetra meet. Get ready for the ultimate showdown. SASS VS SASS!
> 
> Ahem...joking aside, I want to thank everyone for their support so far. Your reviews mean a lot to me! Please leave me a review your favorite thing, and maybe any predictions you have! I love hearing my reader's predictions.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
> 
> Also special thanks to my beta editor, coolman229!


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